Sanctuary
by Mauled2Death
Summary: Pushing onwards to see his fate through, TJ's journey continues in book two of Frequency: Sanctuary. In order to gather his remaining memories he and his companions strive to defeat some of the greatest Agasuras Jienda has ever seen to collect the pages of a magical tome named Memorius Sanctum. Yggdrasil finds itself in a race against time to complete the book or die trying.
1. A Moment in Time

_I was supposed to put this in the synopsis but I forgot when I wrote it. This chapter **IS NOT **the first chapter to the story, nor is it the prologue. If you've read my Twitter, you already know, but this is just a preview to one of the arcs that contains **massive spoilers** so read this at your own discretion. Reason being, I haven't been able to post anything as far as Sanctuary and Innocent go, so this is just a little something to give you a bit of a feel for the new style. The prologue is in the works currently and I'll remain in touch with its progress._

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_**A Moment In Time**_

"_For the sake of my wish, I promised Her three. One: I would find God Ah. Two: I would fight against fate itself to save the hero. Three: I would do everything in my power to grant his wish, no matter what ending he chooses." _(Suuba)

The duo quietly trekked through the damp cave, TJ uneasily stealing glances at the surrounding area and glaring at the bats that rested upon the ceilings.

"You know," TJ began, "I'm all for secrets and whatnot…" He paused. "Scratch that. I don't like secrets at all, especially if they have something to do with me. But I'd like to know where we're going. If we have to travel through a dark cave I get the feeling it can't be anywhere good."

"Just shut up and stay close. I'm not hauling your corpse out of here if you get lost." Su replied. "I've got way better things to do." She climbed up onto a small ledge and proceeded onwards with him in tow. "You better watch your step here, it's pretty-" Before she finished her sentence he ran towards her to stay close and slipped.

"Whoa-" Completely losing his balance, TJ fell backwards and slid down an unforeseen slope towards an open pit. "Su! Help!" He cried out as he neared the fissure and quickly fell inside.

"Idiot!" She ran towards him and slid down the slope, quickly diving down it after him. "Activate the Frequency stupid! Do it or die!"

"Fine just get me out of here!" He shouted as his rapid descent continued.

"Did you expect any less?" Su responded. "Frequency!" A blue glow surrounded the two as their eyes flickered to a shade of the same colour.

He reached his hand out to her and held the other out as he continued with an incantation. "_Abide by the contract and give me the strength to become the hope of this world!_ To me, _Memorius Sanctum_!" The beautiful gilded tome appeared in his free hand and immediately opened, flicking through the pages and stopping at one with a series of lit characters. As it did the aura he emitted grew brighter as his hair turned snow white and a matching pair of wings emerged from his back, as the same happened with her.

"Hang on tight! It's gonna be a hell of a bumpy ride!" He grabbed her hand as her wings spread further out and she leapt in mid-air from their descent towards one of the walls. As she approached she formed an icicle and thrusted it into the wall, cracking the rock and only proving that it was not enough to pierce through. The two continued their descent and she desperately took another swing at the wall, successfully lodging it within; the pair narrowly avoiding the death trap beneath them.

TJ desperately raised his legs as close to his body as he could so he was not impaled by the spikes that awaited him. "For God Ah's sake, this place is gonna be the death of me!"

"That's why I told you to _stay close_ idiot. The entire place is rigged."

"I wasn't _that_ far. But why would someone put a bunch of traps in here? What's inside of it that they have to hide?"

"It's not what's inside of it that we're looking for. It's what's outside. I know this place like the back of my hand; I've been here once, and I knew it wouldn't be the last time I came through here. Now get ready to move, 'cause if you fall again I won't be coming down here to get you back out." She held her hand out as she began to mutter an incantation and a series of spheres of water began to appear in a spiral fashion, surrounding the walls of the fissure up towards the ground floor of the cave. As she completed it, they connected with the wall and extended out towards the center forming a set of stairs. "Let's go! Get up there, you're heavy!"

"I'm goin' I'm goin'…" He muttered as the book disappeared and he climbed her back towards the first step. The moment he set his foot on it he could hear the sound of it cracking, and immediately he dashed upwards towards the top while Su stayed in close proximity. As they made their way up, the stairs shattered and fell to the ground leaving them no time to spare.

Nearly taking another fall into the fissure the two escaped and their hair and eyes returned to their normal colour.

"That was close." He sighed with relief.

"Use your head for once, moron." Su hissed.

The two continued on through the cave for a spell without falling into any further traps, little noise was made between the two aside from the noise of their own footsteps. The sonance of voices caught TJ's attention, the sounds they made very familiar to those of goblin kind. After what they had recently been through, the possibility of goblins being inside the cave was not something he would rule out. The Temple of Pluton was only a few hours away from where they were now; the Bogles they had seen likely meant there were other treasures nearby. He stole a glance at Su and the serious expression she made. He could only imagine how difficult it was for her to return to this place, but his curiosity on what she was searching for begged him to ask her about the matter. Though he wanted to, he decided he would not and looked away to catch a glimpse of a series of holes in the walls surrounding them. His attention immediately switched to where his foot was as the ground beneath him sunk slightly by his step.

"Good one jackass." Su muttered without looking back. A multitude of arrows emerged from every hole in the wall and shot out towards the two. Su stomped her foot and the ground surrounding them shattered and rose to create a small barrier of earth to protect them. The reverberating of the arrows colliding against it caused TJ to shudder though he knew they were safe inside.

"N-nice save." He chuckled uneasily.

"It's not over yet." Su said. Unknown objects collided against their barrier and seemingly fell to the ground shortly after. Once they finally came to a halt Su broke the barrier and the two found themselves surrounded by a series of rocks and broken arrows. "Whoever designed this place was clever enough to know that if the arrows failed, an attack from above would catch any targets stupid enough to crouch."

"It's a good thing I have you with me then."

"You're damn right it is. Now let's get going. She picked up a couple of rocks from the debris and pressed on.

After a brief trek they come across another wall with a wooden door upon it. As they approached it Su stopped in front of it and blocked TJ from opening it.

"Listen to me." She said to which he nodded. "The second we step in there we'll set off the trap. We have to run as fast as we can until we can get to the vines hanging from the roof. You give me a lift up there and jump up yourself since you're taller. Once the boulder rolls past we'll find the shortcut and take that to get out of this shithole."

He knit his eyebrows. "Why don't we just use magic? It's gotten us out of some pretty bad situations already. It'll cut down the amount of effort we need too."

She glared at him. "Do you know how much magic we've used already? Not only did we need to use the Frequency, you had to transform _and_ summon Memorius Sanctum. That wasn't even all of it. If we keep it up we'll use up all of our mana before we even get there! Whatever's waiting for us there, I know we'll need all the mana we can get to make it through. So let's not be stupid about this."

"Risking my hide for traps isn't my favourite past time, but if wherever we're going has something that has _you_ scared you might just be right."

"I'm not scared. I'm just not stupid." She turned back to the door. "You ready?" He nodded. She opened the door and immediately broke into a sprint. As she did he followed suit and the second Su entered the room a massive magic circle emerged from the floor followed by the sound of a boulder emerging from the place they once stood. The two dashed down the tiled tan room towards what they hoped to be a safe destination.

"I don't wanna get crushed!" TJ cried.

"Then stay right behind me!" Su shouted back to him as she held her hand out in front of her and fired a thin beam of ice freezing the ground in front of them. She began to slide across it and he uneasily followed in her footsteps, the two narrowly managing to hold their lead and their lives. "We're almost there! Clasp your hands together and get ready!" He put one hand atop the other and Su turned around while still creating a stream of ice for them to ride. "Now TJ!" She leapt from where she stood into his hands and he flung her towards the low ceiling. She grabbed hold and raised her legs so they were not hit as the boulder approached.

TJ found himself at the end of the ice trail and began running on foot with the boulder quickly closing in on him. "No, no no!" He shouted as he uneasily stole a glance at his incoming end. He leapt for the vines but to no avail. "I'm not tall enough!"

"Use the wall!"

He ran towards the wall and leapt towards it, off of it and grabbed hold of the vines, raising his legs towards the ceiling while narrowly avoiding having them and possibility the rest of his bones being broken by the boulder. With a sigh of relief he let go and landed against the ground and turned to his companion. "That was close. Who the hell uses giant boulders for traps?"

"This place is older than everyone in Yggdrasil combined. Though I have to admit, they were pretty clever with their use of the Arcane Arts. I could learn something from them." She climbed down with a scowl. "I know I said I wouldn't use magic again, but I did. How the hell did I make it through there the first time without water spells?" TJ shrugged in response. "Whatever. We'll manage." She took a small canteen filled with water from her bag and drank some, closing it back and throwing it at her partner. "It's not the most effective way, but at least we can restore a bit of mana and stamina through this."

While he took a drink from the bottle Su walked past him and occasionally threw a rock at the ceiling.

"What are you up to Su?" He asked as she pressed on.

"Somewhere around here there's a fake set of tiles. That'll lead us to the tunnel which'll get us outside."

He felt a growing uneasiness inside of him. "Su, are you sure what you're looking for is here? Seems like you're really risking your life for this. I know it's a tad late to be saying that but…if there _are_ more traps and nothing waiting for you at the end of the journey…maybe it's just better to turn back-"

"Hell no!" She said turning to him with a fierce glare. "I _did not_ come all this way just to get turn around when I'm this close to getting what I came for! If I'm gonna have to get plugged full of arrows or crushed by boulders to get to where it is that I wanna be, then I'll fucking do it! This shit is nothing compared to the shit that we've been through!" Her voice began to sound calmer but her glare was just as intense. "I don't know what you've seen, but you don't know what I have either. So if you're gonna turn your back on me now and break your promises, don't bother looking for me again. I have my own goals in mind too."

He took a deep breath. "Y-You're right. Sorry. We're in this together, and just as you've stuck with me through it all I'll do the same."

Her lips curled into a thin smile. "Hmph. You better." She tossed another rock towards the ceiling and a hollow sound echoed back. "That's the spot." She stomped the ground and an even larger rock emerged, levitating before her. She pointed towards the hollow tiles and it shot up towards them, colliding with and shattering them. "Well? What are you waiting for? Let's get a move on." She grabbed a hold of a vine hanging down to the ground and climbed up into the hole.

"By the end of this journey I'm gonna be claustrophobic." TJ muttered climbing up after her.

The pair quickly crawled down the narrow shaft towards the destination only known to Su herself. TJ silently followed behind her, keeping a close watch on her in case she disappeared into the darkness that surrounded them. Though he had dedicated himself to seeing her through this endeavour, he still felt reluctant because he only knew a fraction of the danger that they could be in. He began to recall the aftermath of the battle in Elfa and he shuddered. The amount of secrecy between himself and his friends only made him more uneasy; the possibility that he would lose Su again worried him even more than not knowing what the two would face next.

"Hey." He began.

"What?" She responded.

"You….you're not gonna die on me right?" She stopped in her tracks and turned her head towards him with an icy stare. He grinned in turn. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Thanks."

"You're a real idiot you know."

"Yep and I'm damn proud of it." She sighed and he chuckled quietly.

After crawling for a brief period longer the two came to a small slope in the tunnel allowing them to slide down towards an exit. Su somersaulted down the shaft and TJ tumbled down after, landing face first in the grass as she stepped aside.

"I give that landing a ten out of ten." Su sneered.

"I aim to impress." He replied dusting off his clothes and rubbing his face gently. As he rose to his feet he carefully examined the surrounding area.

The duo found themselves in a thin passage between tall walls of rock; a small grassy path led them to a small doorway with two tall pillars inviting them into what seemed to be the opening of a temple. Though what really caught TJ's attention was the shape that it was in; the pillars were broken and crumbled, and pieces of the temple's entrance had fallen and partially blocked the doorway. Some of the magnificence of the location was lost in time.

"What…is this place? What happened to it?" He asked.

Su walked over to one of the pillars and gently brushed it with her hand. "This is my home; this is the shrine that was dedicated to my ancestor, and the first God's Governor of Earth Terramane. It's been passed down through my bloodline to each new Governor, and now it belongs to me." Her expression turned sour and slightly enraged. I had only been here once and those bastards found out." She slammed her fist against the pillar and grit her teeth. "Agasuras or humans…I dunno which but they came through and trashed the place. They must have taken the artifacts within it too. When I find who did this I'll tear them a new asshole!"

He furrowed his brows as he examined the rubble. "I'm sure if you could've stopped them, you would've. But after being away from your home for so long and being forced to work under the Dark Moon, it was just out of your power. Being halfway across the world can complicate things."

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but there's no excuse for shit like this. A God's Governor is responsible for their people; I wasn't able to protect my family, my friends, or anyone else in Hanamah. I couldn't even stop them from looting my own shrine. You only know a little of the attack on Hanamah. It's time you heard the full story, 'cause you're a part of this too. If the entire place isn't in shambles; they shouldn't have been able to enter the inner sanctuary. Let's go." Su climbed over the rubble and lead him further in.

The two descended a long set of stairs and came into a corridor; the turquoise walls and the sound of their own footsteps were the only welcome they received. The surrounding area was filled with more rubble and what seemed to be broken pedestals. What had been placed upon them was lost in Su's absence, and every step they took he could feel the tension from her regret building up. They finally came to the end of the hallway which appeared to be a dead end, though two crumbling statues awaited them. Su took a deep breath and placed both her hands to the wall between them, and a magic circle opened up before them. The wall split down the center almost naturally and she pushed the doors open, leading him inside.

The room was wide and circular with a high roof, a series of six pillars surrounded a small basin; at the opposite side of the room a massive stone statue rested watching over the entire place. As he walked inside he could feel a wave of mana wash over him; the entire room basking in it, and there were incredible amounts emanating from the body of water.

"You know, you're the first person to come in here that wasn't a God's Governor…or…_Her_." She grinned devilishly. "You shouldn't stare so much when you come into a girl's room."

He knit his eyebrows. The comment she made prior to the joke caught his attention, but he did not press the matter. "You need to spice this place up."

"This is the way it was made and this is the way it'll stay. I'll make sure of that." She stopped walking as they neared the pool and she turned to him. "We've come a long way on this journey, and there isn't much left for us to do. You've gathered nearly all of your memories and you've defeated most of the worst of the Agasuras. Not bad." She raised her eyebrows. "Anyway. I brought you here for a reason. Mostly. This is mainly for me but you're here so it's high time I tell you."

"You're killing me with this suspense. What's this big secret you've been hiding? I've been waiting for it since we came here!" TJ complained.

She chuckled. "Just wanted to enjoy it a little more." She took a deep breath. "Three years ago I had stumbled upon those ruins while I was exploring the forest. Went inside and nearly got myself killed for it." She smiled as she reminisced about the fact. "Eventually I came across this place; this was before it was destroyed and robbed. It was also before the Dark Moon attacked Hanamah." Her expression began to look rather sullen. "When I had come in here I saw someone in the fountain; I had never seen anyone so beautiful in my life." She smiled slightly. "And that's coming from me, so you know this lady was something. She had long white hair, piercing blue eyes…" Su shuddered. "They were actually kinda scary, but that's not important. She told me that she was looking for me specifically, and that she had been calling out to me for days hoping that I would come…and I did."

"Why was she looking for you specifically? Was it because you were a God's Governor?"

Su shook her head. "No…well, kinda. She had been signalling the other three also, but none of them could hear her calls. Do you remember what Peorth told you about the _Frequency Link_?" TJ nodded rapidly. "She used that. I had learned about it sometime after I got to Hanamah, but I couldn't use it because no one else knew how, so I thought it didn't work. Turns out she was reaching out to me in my dreams and was calling me to my shrine; it was the only place she could manifest."

"What happened next?" His eyes were full of curiosity as he awaited her response.

Su's gaze glazed over slightly. "She told me everything. Told me of my lineage, of your existence and of the other God's Governors. But more important than all of that…she told me _your _future."

He snorted. "You're nuts!"

She frowned. "Don't try me. She told me what would have happened if we didn't prevent it." Her expression was hard. "Trini was going to die to Choen Palm in Atlantis and you would be forced into a contract with her." He looked genuinely appalled by the news. "That's not the end of it. After that the two of you morons would go on a bloody rampage. Cerebians and humans alike were killed mercilessly. I saw a bit of the battle between you and Peorth." She shook her head. "It was bloody and…kind of awesome. Though it didn't surprise me that you killed her."

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "No! I would never raise a weapon to Peorth unless we were sparring!" He clenched his fists. "I wouldn't join Choen Palm either, even if my life depended on it!"

"You nearly did back in the City of Iron." She retorted. "But anyway, that's why I said she _forced_ the contract stupid. With just the two of you, all of Jienda was forced into a war, and after the battle in Atlantis, the Atlantians joined in the war thinking that humanity turned against them. She wanted to stop that at all costs, and She chose me to do it. I was the only one who could understand the Frequency, and one of the few Cerebians who could control that much power."

He knit his eyebrows. "But who is _she_? Why did she choose _you_ to stop that future from happening, and how did she even see into the future?"

"'She' is the Cerebian goddess Lady Amae."

He stared blankly at her for a brief period in disbelief, and shortly after his expression changed to one that seemed to almost contain a childlike innocence. "…Mama?"

Su frowned. "What?"

He averted his eyes. "N-nothing. Sorry, go on."

She shrugged. "She had told me that the eyes were the key to the soul, and to the future. If you knew _jack shit_ about our race, you'd know that the royal family, _including_ Peorth are clairvoyants. They weren't the only ones, but nowadays they probably are. Lady Amae was one of the first, and she passed it in through her lineage. Every Cerebian believed she had disappeared hundreds of years ago after the Agasuric War, along with God Ah. They were wrong. When Peorth brought you to our world, She woke up from this really long hibernation, and with what little power she had left she looked for the God's Governors. The others were out of her reach and couldn't hear her calls. Aside from that, the fact that she's here is proof that God Ah probably has a physical form too, and that he's out there somewhere."

"So she came to you to warn you of what was going to happen so you could prevent it?"

Su shook her head solemnly. "She came to do this." She turned away from TJ and began to unzip her sweater.

"Hey! Whoa! What are you doing?!" He said in a panicked voice while covering his eyes.

"I'm showing you my proof of her existence." She finished removing her shirt and stole a glance at him. "You can look now stupid."

He removed his hands from his face and saw exactly what she had promised him. Upon her back was a blue magic circle, beautifully adorned with three symbols forming a triad, each surrounded by a small circle. The first depicted the Eye of Providence, the second the common magic circle, and the third the Ouroboros. In the center of it was a larger version of the eye.

TJ silently reached out to the markings and gently brushed his hands against it causing her to shudder.

"What are you doing?!" Su hissed.

"Oh! Sorry! I just kinda…got caught in the moment. What are these markings?"

"They're proof of our contract." He furrowed his brows at the response. "Three years ago, before I met you, I had formed this contract with her. It's true that she did come to warn me of the shitty future that was gonna happen, but she didn't just want me to know. She wanted me to stop it." She grit her teeth. "She also told me of what was going to happen to Hanamah, but by then it was already too late. The Dark Moon had already attacked, and I was too late to save everyone. Lady Amae lent me her strength to protect what little I had left and to protect you, and to do that our contract had to happen. Regardless of whether or not Hanamah was in danger, the contract was necessary. She was too weak to remain in this world. My contract with you was necessary too, and all part of her plan."

"Why didn't you tell me this Su? If you and M-Lady Amae formed a contract, why keep something so important a secret?"

"I kept it a secret _because _it's important! Our enemies are all around us TJ. If the Agasuras have been able to get past the cities' protection, there's not a single place that we can call safe! The Agasuras want _you_ TJ, and if they get you, they'll take me with you! The Cerebians will be down a God's Governor and their goddess! If they got that the Cerebians wouldn't stand a chance in hell against them!"

He clenched his fists. "You're right…as always. The information we know can't be divulged so easily or we can put everyone in danger. Our identities are more important now than ever before. I won't put everyone in danger like I have in the past."

Su smiled devilishly. "Damn right you won't. Still, this is why we're here." He raised his eyebrows. "This is basically the place the God's Governors were to go to prove themselves; at least, the ones in my family. A God's Governor can't awaken until they pass some tests or something. This is one of them."

"Telling me the truth?"

She laughed. "No." It had been some time since he last heard her laugh. He smiled slightly at the fact. "You're probably gonna get dragged into this since you're here." Her tiny shoulders shrugged. "This is for your sake anyway. With this I'll have the power to protect you." A sharp glare followed her words. "You better not look or I'll gouge your eyes out." She muttered over her shoulder. "Before we can take the test we have to purify our minds and bodies in the sanctuary."

He turned away as the sound of clothes shuffling followed his action. Shortly after he heard something enter the water and Su swear.

"Damn cold…" Su quietly waded through the water and stood in the center of the basin. "I dunno if I remember it." She muttered.

"Remember what? An incantation?"

"No a prayer." She sighed. "Well whatever. If I screw it up he can suck it." Su took a deep breath. "_The hands that hold, the power of the earth; I shall take it upon my shoulders and turn the gears of fate with my brethren. Past, present and future shall be mended, the prophecies fulfilled, the worlds merged and the rightful king shall claim his throne. By the unity of the four we will rise, chosen heroes who shall stand ever resolute against the Agasura! Bestow upon me the divine challenge of the servants of His Majesty! Here and now, I shall prove myself a worthy successor to His Majesty's hero of old!_"

As Su's prayer came to an end a storm of leaves surged forth from nowhere and surrounded the entire room.

"What's going on?!" TJ cried as he covered his face from the surrounding attack.

"That's just his fancy entrance." Su responded. As he turned to catch a glimpse of who 'he' was, the room they were once in had changed completely. The basin had disappeared and the walls began to look like that of the ruins; covered in moss and vines with a cracked and trodden floor. There in the center the leaves gathered around and dispersed as two magic circles appeared in the center and split apart vertically, revealing an elderly robed man. His short silver hair was met with an earthen mantle; his expression aged and wise, but peaceful. His gaze remained focused on Su.

"It's been a few years old man." Su said with a devilish grin. "I told you I'd be back."

A thin smile spread across his face. "God's Governor Suuba…from a glance I can tell how much you have grown. You have become much wiser, but your personality has not changed at all. That is no way to respect your ancestors." He chuckled quietly as his gaze shifted to TJ. And who might this young lass be?"

"_Did he just call me a lass?_" He asked in a hushed voice.

"You need to get your eyes checked old man. You should be able to tell by a look." The elder nodded in response as he muttered, 'I see' a couple of times. Su pointed to her companion. "This is TJ. TJ, this is my oldest ancestor, and the first God's Governor of Earth, Terramane."

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_For those who have found themselves here, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read it, and I honestly hope you enjoyed this little preview to the story. I'm a tad fickle with my works so there might be edits later to the dialogue and whatnot, but nothing major. Truthfully, I'm treading unfamiliar territory with Sanctuary, so I hope you'll bear with me through this process and enjoy the work nonetheless. With that said, if you want to stay updated with my works, give my Twitter a look, check out my blog through my header and let me know what you think of this so far. Every opinion is appreciated! Thanks guys and look forward to more of this story!_


	2. Prologue

_This is the actual beginning to the story, so you can skip over the last chapter if you don't want to see the spoilers._

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_**Prologue**_

"_Many had thought of the royal family as only a line of figureheads. Little did they know, what they needed was not just a leader, nor a hero, but someone who could be their champion, and of a family who could deliver them just that." (Peorth __Ásvaŕtlim__)_

The snow gently fell upon the Refrize Snowfield, the entirety of the area already blanketed in a coat of it. Three armed people carefully waded their way through the field further away from the main path and straying out into what seemed to be an endless abyss of snow. Though they all bore weapons, each also carried a rucksack with tools and other various supplies upon their backs seemingly for glacier climbing.

The only male in the trio was the first to speak, "I didn't know the Cerebians held any ties with the selkis." He said. "I always believed they were Agasura, judging by the way that humans attack them." He wore a long black button-up coat and matching black boots. Much of his face was hidden beneath his hood, but a portion of it was visible, revealing his dark skin tone and bright golden eyes. Beneath the jacket the sheaths of two swords peeked out from both sides of his waist.

One of the ladies ahead of him wielded a spear featuring a spear head reminiscent of a mountain with a beautiful ruby on the hilt resting on her back. She wore a baby blue coat that covered most of her body, but unlike her companions she did not wear a hood. She had long icy blue hair tied back in a ponytail and piercing sapphire eyes; she wore yellow frameless glasses and two heart earrings, a gold heart that rested upon her left ear and a red heart that hung from a small series of beads in her right. "It was only recently that we had developed a relationship with them; our presence through the _Haven,_ Xenym, did not bother them, so long as we did not encroach upon their territory. The elder had nearly severed ties with us after its destruction because the humans had come too close to discovering their homes. I had paid them a visit after the event in order to discuss the matter, and to protect the ruins of the Haven in order to keep our secrets safe. We must meet with him again now in order to undo the favour." She explained. Though her voice sounded rather soft, she still contained a commanding presence in her words, despite her tone remaining unchanged throughout.

"The Haven was where our people took refuge after the attack on our home, and acted as a hub to build the relationship between our kind and humanity." The second girl shook her head. She wore a long tan coat and white fur boots. Two icy blue twin tails rested on the outside of her hood and two ruby red eyes peeked through the inside. She twirled a small dagger in her hands as she walked. "Of all the places the Dark Moon could have attacked, if only it wasn't one of the Havens. So many innocent people lost their lives in those attacks. I know you'll find a way to resolve this peacefully Peorth." Her bubbly voice betrayed the serious topics she spoke of.

Peorth nodded slowly. "If there is not a way, we shall forge a path ourselves." The trio stopped at a wall and she and their male companion removed their rucksacks. The three geared themselves up in harnesses and grabbed other tools to assist them in climbing. She took out an ice axe and he handed her rope to which she tied to her harness and prepared to climb. She reached up and slammed her pick into the ice, using it to pull herself higher and grab hold of a short ledge, steadily furthering herself higher on the glacier. As she moved further along she placed ice screws within the ice along the way and tied the rope through them, furthering herself on the glacier.

The two watched at the base of the glacier, the young man in the group more uneasy than his companion.

"You know, when the big boss asked me to join you two on a peace mission with the selkis, this is _not_ what I expected." He said.

"Are you new to ice climbing Axle?" His companion asked.

"I'm not new to it, no, but I'm awful at it." Axle replied knitting his eyebrows. "Extreme sports were always pretty much out of my league. I prefer long walks on the beach. " He shifted his gaze to her. "I assume you and the boss have done this all the time? I can see it now; Kooh and Peorth: professional simul-climbers."

Kooh laughed. "I'm the experienced one in Yggdrasil. Actually, I was the one who taught her how years ago. She was so cute her first time." She smiled as her face flushed. "I was her battle partner, her teacher, and one of her best friends for most of her life. She's surpassed me in all of it and taken things to a whole new level."

Peorth turned to the pair and signalled the next person to follow her lead.

"You go on ahead Axle. I'll belay for you."

Axle gave her one last reluctant look and followed his guild master up the glacier. Peorth continued on with skill and ease; she was well versed in ice climbing, despite the fact she was not only a guild master, but a prominent quest-goer within the guild and one of the best, if not only Warlords with a spear. Though Axle said it was not his specialty he was still able to keep a steady pace while Kooh followed the two and grabbed their equipment along the way.

Peorth soon found herself at the top and climbed her way up leaving one last belay station for her companions as she scouted out the area; she shifted her goggles to the top of her head as she scanned the area. The land alike to many others across the continent had been broken apart and levitated at differing heights. In order to proceed to their next destination, they would have to find a way upon the various pieces of land to proceed to the next glacier. Shortly after Axle reached her vantage and stood next to her as he caught his breath.

"Where do you get this stamina boss?" He asked. "You're a brick wall when we spar and you're a demon in everything else!"

She rummaged through her pack and removed a grappling hook from it. "A lady never tells her secrets." She replied in her usual calm tone.

As Kooh climbed up shortly after him she chimed, "That's our guild master!" She grabbed the last few pieces of equipment and packed them away for the time being.

"It would be best if the two of you stood a safe distance away. Using this item can be very dangerous for any bystanders." Peorth explained. The two backed away and she began to swing the hook around, throwing it towards one of the nearby platforms and latching it onto a rock. She tugged on the rope with a fair amount of force and the object seemed sturdy enough for her to climb. She placed one foot against the platform and hoisted her other foot onto it, climbing it with relative ease. She quickly reached the top and examined the others from where she stood. "The other landings are not so far that we would need to use our equipment for them. We can proceed through speed and willpower."

"Now we're in my element!" Axle enthusiastically chimed.

He quickly followed her up to the top of the platform and Kooh came last shortly after. Before them stood a multitude of platforms, varying in shape and size, some more welcoming than others. Some seemed to be coated in ice and snow, while others were rockier and unfit for the group to risk running across.

"Our short-term destination is that glacier over there. Once we arrive at the top it would be best if we set up camp and started a campfire. The days will be long and the nights will be cold, but we must persist. It may take us upwards of a week to arrive at the selki's settlement, but so long as we remain vigilant we will succeed." Peorth said.

"We've faced way worse than this boss." Axle chuckled. "If you think a mountain or two can stop this guy, I might need to become your next teacher."

"We're right behind you all the way Princess." Kooh said.

Their guild master took a reluctant glance back at the two with knit eyebrows, her face displaying a mix of dismay and confusion, nearly hidden by her typical serious expression. "My faith is yours." She drew her spear and broke into a full on sprint forward, her companions quickly following in her wake. Leaping from one platform to the next, the group quickly moved towards their next goal and eventually came to a landing that was quite a distance from the next. "Do not lose your momentum now! We must clear this jump in one attempt!" As she stormed forwards she aimed her spear at the ground and slammed it into the ice, propelling herself off of the ground and towards the landing.

Axle followed after leaping through the air and using the Blader's unique skill, the Double Blade Step. As he flew through the air he gained an extra burst of speed and launched himself forward easily clearing the gap. Kooh following in their wake last held out one hand, firing a thin jet of light that froze as it touched the ground creating an icy bridge from one side to the other.

"Over already? It was fun while it lasted." Axle groaned. He stole a glance at his companion crossing her bridge. "If you could've done that all along, it kinda defeats everything we just did. Party pooper."

She shrugged. "Should've asked."

Peorth placed her spear back in its sheath. "This may have been the first, but it certainly will not be the last we will need to clear." She said gearing up once more. "Be careful with your mana consumption Kooh. If you are to fall short, we will fall prey to the storm. Forgive me for putting this burden upon you, but I prefer asking this than asking you to fight in my stead."

"No problem Princess." She replied cheerily. "I wasn't given my title just for show." As the guild master turned away a tiny smile crept up on her lips and she began to climb the glacier.

"You…think the boss is holdin' up alright?" Axle asked with a worried expression. "She's been pretty quiet lately. More than the usual Peorth."

Kooh sighed but retained her smile. "She's hurting really badly, but as always, she won't let anyone see that side of her. Though she relies on us, she can't rely on us emotionally. I know she trusts us with her life but after everything that's happened she still carries the world on her shoulders." She laughed quietly. "Being a queen can do that to someone; on top of being responsible for her race in life and in death…"

Peorth signalled her companions to follow her lead once more and Axle prepared to climb up shortly after.

He reluctantly took a glance at Kooh, not for the sake of himself, but for her. "So what about you? What's your stake in all of this?"

She grinned. "She gave me something to live for."

Axle knit his eyebrows and turned away putting his focus back onto the task at hand to reduce the risk of falling. Once he got a reasonable distance away he called out to his last companion and she followed up last grabbing their tools along the way, and after a fair period of time the three found themselves at the top, joining in setting up camp as they arrived.

After a few hours the group's tent was properly erected and they found themselves around a warm fire eating their meal. The snow came down harder and the winds were even fiercer at their altitude, but it seemed almost as if the snow that would fall upon them would melt as it approached from an invisible sphere surrounding the three.

"Hey boss, think you can fill me in on the details of the mission again?" Axle asked.

"Did I not brief you properly on the mission Axle? Forgive me for this failure." Peorth replied earnestly.

He gestured for her not to worry about it. "That's alright boss! It was short notice anyway."

She nodded. "Please allow me to do so now then." She cleared her throat. "As you may know, our final battle draws nearer by the day, though time is precious, we have much that needs to be done. Leaving the Agasura aside, we must assemble and assist the God's Governors in the Awakening process. One of the four shrines, dedicated to the goddesses Undine and Dione, are located in the Snowfields. In order to access it, we must see the selki elder and request his assistance in removing the storm that currently prevents outsiders from approaching Xenym. It was originally my request to him many a years ago, and now I must return to undo it."

"That explains that." He placed down his bowl and patted him stomach. "That's some good stuff. Warmed me from the inside out!" His eyes wandered across the frozen landscape and he saw nothing but snow and ice as far as the eye could see. "What's up with this part of the Snowfield? Too cold for the Agasuras?" The two nodded. "Oh what a relief." He laughed uneasily. "I'd honestly take fighting Agasuras over fighting mother nature. Can't punch one of them in the face." Kooh snickered at the comment.

The guild master suggested that they rest as much as they can so they could remain on the move. Should they stay in the mountains too long, there was a very high chance that they would freeze to death. Kooh did not seem fazed at all this, but Axle was not pleased with the idea.

Over the next few days the group further trekked across vast frozen lands and climbed glaciers and mountains in order to get one step closer to their goal. By the fifth day they found themselves in a cavern upon one of the mountains. The trio huddled around a fire in an attempt to warm themselves from the brutal storms that awaited them outside.

"Feels good to finally get a break from using my mana." Kooh said with a sigh of relief.

Axle breathed into his hands and quickly shifted his gaze to her following her comment. "You don't know how much I love you right now." He said.

She held out her right hand with her fingers outstretched. "Better put a ring on it! I won't stay single forever you know."

"I wish the two of you a very happy life together." Peorth said.

"We're just kidding around!" Axle defensively retorted.

"As was I." She smiled slightly as he placed his face in the palm of his hand.

"She…she got me."

She suddenly hushed him as she placed a finger to her lips and shifted her gaze further into the cave, an area shrouded in darkness. She outstretched her free hand and a tiny sphere of light took form above it, approaching the darkness and stopping within the center of that which was in their sight. It remained stationary and levitated, lighting the area as it did. The other two rose to their feet to get a better glimpse at what waited for them and they both gave slightly perturbed expressions upon discovering it.

Kooh was the first to react. "Is that…"

Axle frowned. "It's a penguin. Wearing a scarf." Just as he had described it, a small purple penguin with large bushy yellow eyebrows and a striped scarf approached the group.

Peorth rose to her feet and drew her weapon. "That is an Agasura Axle. It is not the strongest, but it is not something to underestimate regardless. Where there is one Agasura, there will certainly be more. Even if we are to defeat it, it will certainly return as will the others." She stepped ahead of the two and pointed her spear towards the creature. This place is no longer safe; we must fight our way out and press on until we can find somewhere else to take shelter and rest."

"We'll have your back a.s.a.p. Boss. Just hold on until we get this stuff ready." He said quickly rushing to get everything they'd need packed and ready for their journey.

"Worry not for my sake. I have been trained well." Peorth rushed forward and Kooh joined him in readying their gear. As she approached the creature, it suddenly broke into a dash while remaining on the spot, suddenly dropping to its stomach and sliding towards her. She leapt as it approached and swept the ground with her spear, knocking it aside into the cave's wall. She spun the spear around her back to her other hand and impaled the creature. She placed her foot to it and pulled out the bloody spear, shifting her gaze to the oncoming group. "As I had expected, this will be over quickly."

Four approached, each of them coughing up fish bones and preparing to throw them. Peorth prepared her weapon and as they began to throw theirs, she spun her spear around and knocked them aside. She tossed her spear at the penguin leading the group and dispersed into a series of tiny spheres of light, coming together once more upon the weapon. She raised the impaled creature and spun it around, knocking two aside followed by her slamming the spear into the ground and pushing it further into the penguin.

"Peorth behind you!" Kooh shouted. Peorth stole a glance behind her as she back flipped over the penguin on her flank and noticed an icicle lodged in its stomach. The icicle suddenly burst as did the creature, launching a series of smaller pieces alongside its entrails into the others and pinning them to the walls. "Sorry you had to see that! That's one of the reasons I don't use that spell too often."

Though Peorth's expression betrayed the fact, she was perturbed by the sight as was Axle.

"You're a real killer aren't you?" He asked with a grin. "Remind me not to get on your bad side." Kooh smiled innocently as she followed behind their guild master.

The three continued on down the cave, finding themselves in various twists and turns as they proceeded to the exit. At times the ground seemed to become steeper than what they were familiar with, leading down, possibly towards the base of the mountain they had climbed.

"Something's coming. Best be ready Boss." He commented.

She nodded. "I will take point. Axle, I would like for you to cover the rear, and Kooh shall provide long range support only when it is necessary."

The sound of wolves howling caught their attention as they turned another corner and found themselves face to face with a pack of four white wolves. Axle drew his swords and Peorth readied her spear. The duo made the first move, storming their enemies with their arms at the ready; she leapt through the air and thrusted her spear towards the nearest wolf and missed it as it evaded the attack and two others stormed her flanks. Axle joined her side and blocked their fangs with both his blades, the two biting down on his swords allowing him to drag them in front of him. He kicked one aside and pulled the other to him as he raised his right hand blade, taking a swing at the beast and grazing it as it successfully evades the brunt of his attack.

While Peorth had her foot in the face of one of the wolves, she repeatedly thrusted her spear at the other in order to keep it from biting her. "This is very strange…" She muttered as she slammed the spear down causing one beast to jump back and swung it at the other, knocking it aside.

"What is?" He asked rapidly taking swings at the evading creatures.

"These creatures are not seen out of the Frozen Labyrinth. They are Instance Dungeon Agasura…could their presence here be connected to our battle with the greater Agasura?" She stomped the incapacitated wolf's face and impaled the creature, immediately turning to the other and fending it off with the shaft of her spear.

"Well I'll be damned." He found himself surrounded from in front and behind while he carefully examined the scenario. As both wolves leapt at him, he leapt above them, causing them to turn away from the other as they both leapt up to strike him down. He dashed through the air behind one of the two and twisted on his heels to impale the creature with both blades and split it down the center. "Never been there myself. Sounds…exciting."

Peorth forced the beast back and carefully eyed it as it evaded on instinct, followed by the two circling around her and her companion now standing back to back. "Is that so?" One of the two leapt at her and she stepped aside, causing it to bite Axle's buttocks.

"Sweet gods!" He cried out repeatedly bashing the creature's head with the hilt of his sword despite its persistence in hanging on. The other took the opportunity to strike him and he immediately reacted by dropping both his weapons and pinning it to the ground, breaking its neck though the other still held on. Peorth grabbed the beast by its snout and forcefully pulled it away from him, thrusting her spear into its open mouth without a second thought, tossing it aside shortly after. Axle gently massaged his buttocks as he rose to his feet. "How many Agasuras would go out of their way to bite a man's ass? I mean, _it is_ rather tantalizing, but if they tear it off there won't be anything left for all the ladies of Jienda."

As Kooh approached she said, "You better strut that stuff while you've still got it Ax." While passing him she gave him a slap exactly where he got bitten and he cringed.

"That one's gonna cost you five thousand, K! A gigolo of this quality isn't cheap!"

The trio pressed on further into the cave and they found themselves in a predicament because of their lack of light. Peorth created another sphere that quietly levitated over her palm, but as she had told her members, if she was to try and maintain the spell, casting others would greatly increase the strain on her body, while spending even more mana; more than she could spare.

"So how did you find yourself in the Frozen Labyrinth anyway Boss? I've heard it's a pretty dangerous place, especially considering the guardian waiting at the end of it."

She occasionally shifted her gaze between the darkness before her and her companion next to her as she replied, "To the selki, it is a rite of adulthood. For us, it was a rite of acceptance into the clan. Though my mother had not performed this act, she had proven herself a worthy companion to the clan through her actions. She and the elder were very close during her stay on Jienda, short as it may have been. The first time I had visited, he told me many stories of the time they spent together and the wonderful things my mother had done." She gripped her spear tightly. "He believed that I too, had the potential to be an incredible lady like her, and though he believed in me, he sent me on the rite not for self-assurance, but to show his people that we were trustworthy. His actions were only in their best interest."

"The selki are Agasuras right? It's hard to believe that the Cerebians and the selki aren't out for each other's blood." He remarked.

"You are correct. Though they are Agasuras, they were able to see past what had brought them back to life and overcome it, freeing themselves from their desire to harm. In doing so, they taught others and have been able to form a civilization somewhere far away from the eyes of humanity; somewhere they could be safe. But mind you, not all selki have chosen this path, and those that have not will attack." Peorth's eyes wandered back to the darkness as her gaze gave off a curious, dreamy feel. "They are not the first to have broken free of this mindset; there are others, and I believe that this may be a start to ending this war, without the need for hatred and bloodshed. Someday, I pray that we can all live under the same sky in harmony, be we Man, Agasura or Cerebian."

Axle grinned. "Oh Boss…you're just a big ol' softy underneath that badass warrior-princess guild master exterior aren't 'ya?"

She reluctantly shifted her gaze to the two who beamed back at her as she muttered, "_I am not a…a __**softy**_." She gestured for the others to stop as her gaze turned into a cautious glare. "Something is coming…if there have been two of the five Agasuras that could be located in the Frozen Labyrinth, that leaves two creatures of very different size…and this sound…must be a minotauros!" The sound of Peorth's voice travelled through the tunnel to where the creatures approached and the sounds of their stampeding returned back to the group. "Stand back Kooh! Axle, prepare yourself! They are approaching rapidly!"

"Now things are getting interesting." He twirled both blades in his hands and crossed them swinging them downwards as a powerful blue aura surged forth from him. "Can't let you hog all the cool moments now can I? I've got an image to keep too." She nearly stared blankly at him, but she reluctantly kept her focus on the approaching enemies.

From the darkness two pairs of enraged crimson eyes appeared, and following them the massive bodies of two minotaur creatures followed; each a solid grey with a white mane, the two bearing gigantic axes.

Axle lowered his blades as his expression lost a fair portion of its excitement. "I was expecting something big; I didn't expect something _that_ big. Who would have thought there were two of the bastards?" He asked. The two girls both raised their hands in response. "Don't you two know what a rhetorical question is?"

"Focus Axle!" Peorth immediately responded. "These are not enemies that should be trifled with!"

"Those imposing axes of theirs agree completely with that statement." He retorted. "But this is nothing I can't handle. Allow me." He readied both his blades and immediately dashed between them in mere moments, cutting a swath in their flanks with ease. As they turned around and slammed their axes where he once was, he had already leapt onto the wall and immediately pushed himself off of it, slicing their shoulders as he descended.

"If possible cut the tendons Axle! Without their axes the minotauros will not be as dangerous!" Peorth shouted to him as she leapt up towards the left Agasura and stabbed it in the arm with her spear. It attempted to punch her to which she grabbed hold of her spear and leapt off of the arm, grabbing hold of it with her left hand and swinging back up as it hit the wall.

"You've got it Boss!" As the right minotauros attempted to punch her after its companion failed Axle leapt from its knee onto its arm and thrusted one of his blades into the arm, dragging it along as he ran towards the shoulder. The creature cried out as it flailed its arm flinging Axle from it, but not causing him to lose his balance upon landing. "They have pretty tough skin! Even if I pierce it with my blades it'll take a lot more than that to hurt 'em enough to make 'em drop those axes."

She pulled her spear out and leapt onto the other minotauros' head, rapidly taking stabs at it until it slammed the blunt end of its axe over its head in a desperate attempt to stop her. The creature stumbled forth and Axle leapt toward its arm, thrusting both his blades into its elbow crease.

"Slam dunk!" He cried out as he placed both his feet on its arm and tried to pull out the blades.

"Behind you!" Peorth shouted. He caught a glimpse of the second minotauros reaching out to grab him so he dropped the blades and fell to the ground, only to be seconds away from its hoof.

"Shit…" He muttered as he blocked his body with both arms and the hoof collided with them, throwing him back into one of the walls.

"Are you alright?" Kooh asked.

"I'm fine! A kick or two can't stop good ol' Axle! Though they've still got my swords. That really sucks." He rose to his feet tightly gripping one of his arms. "Time for round two."

"Stand back Axle! This will be very dangerous." Peorth dashed between the second Agasura's legs and leapt up towards Axle's blades; she used them as a hold to puncture the creature's arm once more with her spear and pulled herself up before it could punch her again. She held out her hand and three tiny spheres of light appeared around her, immediately firing off towards her second target, all direct hits to the head, all of them easily agitating it. It stormed towards her, raising its axe and bringing it down without a moment of hesitation, easily slicing through both of its ally's arms, lopping both off at varying lengths. Both the axe and the arms fell to the ground, the weapon still tightly gripped in its decapitated hand.

The creature roared in a combination of pain and anger as blood gushed out from both its severed arms, coating the walls, its companion and occasionally the two fighting them.

"Pbbth…gross!" Axle shouted as he spit out its blood and continued trying to pull his blades from its arms.

The creature continued crying out as it broke out into an even greater panic, running around the tunnel, slamming into walls and knocking its companion around in its frenzy. Peorth kept a watchful eye over the two as she evaded and waited for a chance to strike. Axle pulled out the blades and twirled them around cheerfully. He turned his focus to the first minotauros with its back turned and its rampaging companion, preparing himself to strike. He dashed past it once more, cutting a line in its leg and stabbing it with both blades without turning around. He began to rapidly cut the leg and the creature turned its focus to him as the other stampeded towards him.

"You're way too loud for me not to spot you." He said with a chuckle as he leapt towards the center of the Agasura.

"Axle look out!" Kooh shouted to him as he stole a glance behind him and caught a glimpse of the axe approaching.

"I'm on it!" He dashed in the air towards it and sheathed both his blades, skillfully vaulting over the axe and safely avoiding the attack.

"It was a trap!" Peorth cried out as the creature turned to him and stomped its foot causing a strange blue mist to appear and drift down as Axle lost his momentum and suddenly fell. He collapsed to the ground and attempted to rise to his feet but could not muster the strength to. Shortly after the creature kicked him aside and he was tossed towards the wall once more, painfully colliding with it and sliding down to the ground as he dropped his swords and groaned.

"Well…this is awfully…familiar." He muttered between his breaths.

The Agasura approached him raising its axe and drawing energy to it while Peorth dashed to his side with her spear at the ready. "I will not allow you this victory!" She shouted as it brought down the axe upon her spear which she blocked. Without a moment to spare it attacked again with a horizontal swing, another following it, a third, and it prepared for one last attack, the others successfully stopped by the guild master. She caught a glimpse of the second minotauros charging towards the two and she knew she could not stop them both. "I did not want to have to do this…" She held her hand out as a magic circle with the emblem of the home of the god's appeared beneath her; she spun her spear over her head and slammed it into the ground as she shouted, "Barrier Break!" Moments before the two were decapitated and crushed, a blue aura surrounded both she and Axle and surged forth, growing in size, causing both creatures to freeze in place as it passed through them. She collapsed to the ground tightly gripping her spear as she caught her breath. "Axle…you must finish this. I do not have the mana nor the stamina to do any more than this."

Axle wiped the blood running down from his head and grinned as he picked up his blades and rose to his feet. "Leave it to me Boss." He took a deep breath, then leapt towards the nearest minotauros, using its leg and arms to rise higher into the air eventually leaping from the blade of the axe to the nearest wall and jumping even higher from there. As he reached the peak of his ascent, he raised both blades above his head and began to spin down towards them as he shouted, "Wheel of Blades!" He quickly descended to the first Agasura, cutting right through its head and torso and continued on through the second, splitting it in two as he landed coming to a quick and bloody halt. "Oh for God Ah's sake…I'm covered in this shit." He said with a displeased frown as he shook his arms to get some of the blood off of him, though he was covered in it from head to toe. As he did, tiny blue spheres emerged from the two creatures like sparks and they collapsed to the ground.

"Excellent work." Peorth said as she walked towards him and gave him a nod.

"You two were really cutting it close there. I'm glad you're alright." Kooh told them with a cheerful smile.

"Physically, yes. Mentally? Not so much." Axle replied reluctantly.

"I'll fix you up right now." She held out both her hands and a deluge of water barraged him, nearly knocking him off of his feet.

"Th-thanks." He said shaking off the water this time. She placed her hands to his head and they gave off a gentle blue glow, and as she removed them the wound on his head began to close.

"Your turn Princess." She performed the same for Peorth, but it appeared from above and washed the blood from her. Afterwards Kooh took her hands and the aura she emitted appeared once more, travelling through her arms and hands to the guild master's.

"I feel much better already. Thank you very much." Peorth said. She clasped her hands together and she basked in a golden aura for a moment, completely drying her once soaked clothes.

"Restoring mana and healing wounds is just a small thing. You're both very welcome."

The three continued on through the tunnels passing by various turns, but luckily not coming across any other Agasuras as they did. The group came across a rather steep path in the cave and as they climbed the sound of the wind caught their guild master's attention.

"Do you hear that?" She asked the others.

"Yep. Sounds like we're almost out of here. If there are no Agasuras at the exit we should set up camp and set out again in the morning." Kooh suggested.

The trio arrived at the exit and began to unpack their things, building a fire and preparing to rest.

Axle uneasily stared out upon the mountains that stood before the group and sighed. "Are the Agasuras from the Frozen Labyrinth that strong normally Boss? I've seen my fair share of Instance Dungeons, but I've never come across anything like this. If these Agasuras are that powerful, do you really think we could face off with the _Seven Sinners_?" He asked.

Peorth was crouched down in front of the fire pit attempting to light it with flint. "The Agasura are preparing for the return of the king. At this time, they are at their strongest, and they will only become stronger upon his arrival. I believe in the Cerebians with every fibre in my body. Not for a moment will I have a doubt that we could not defeat the Seven. Their powers will carry TJ through his journey, and in doing so help him in defeating the king and his proxy. I am sure you are aware of how dangerous the missions in dispatching them will be, so I will not force you to partake in this." She replied.

"I'm not chickening out." He laughed. "I don't wanna fight them as much as the next guy, but I can't leave all the heavy lifting to Yggdrasil's ladies. Besides, if you've done so much for my family and I already, and I'm still relying on you guys. In turn I'll help you guys save the world; it's the least I could do."

Kooh laughed and Peorth nodded approvingly, lighting the fire and backing away cautiously after it caught her off guard. The trio warmed up around the fire and rested in preparation for the next few days.

For days the group continued on further climbing glaciers and mountains, travelling through mountain passes and rappelling whenever necessary. The winds and the cold were brutal but the trio remained stalwart in their travels and continued on despite this. On the tenth day they had found themselves travelling through another small mountain pass and as they came through they could barely see a small village on the outskirts of the continent.

"It seems we have finally come across our destination." Peorth said covering her face with her arm.

"Thank the stars." Axle muttered. "Any longer and I would've thrown the greatest tantrum Jienda's ever seen." He had both his hands in his pockets and his coat covering most of his face.

As the group approached they could see the citizens buzzing around the village, some stopping and staring as they discovered the three nearing their home. Each of them seemed to be wearing various animal pelts for clothes and wearing walrus skins on their heads, ones long enough that they dragged on the ground. Then the panic began; some drew weapons while waiting for them at the entrance, and others took refuge in their homes. The moment they stepped foot in the village the selkis began to point their spears and other various weapons at their unwelcome visitors.

"Drop your weapons or die where you stand!" One of them shouted.

"Do as they say." Peorth told her companions removing her spear and placing it on the ground before her. Kooh and Axle took out their dagger and blades respectively and followed suit.

The selki who made the command gestured his companions and six of them cautiously approached the group and confined them. Three others took their weapons into custody as the trio was dragged away.

"I'm not one to question your judgements Boss, but I don't like the way things are going right now. Does the selki chief usually confine and disarm his friends?"

She remained silent for a couple moments. "This is standard procedure. Not every visitor can be trusted, as scarce as they may be. I trust in his judgement."

A few minutes later the trio found themselves confined in an ice prison. Peorth reluctantly turned to her companions to meet a pair of mixed expressions. While Kooh smiled wryly, Axle wore an expression that clearly displayed his dismay on the matter.

"Forgive me…" Peorth said apologetically while bowing her head.

"I'm not mad at you Boss, but I'm not liking this scenario at all. Realistically, if we don't get an audience with the head honcho I think they're gonna gut us and wear us like those walrus. I don't wanna be someone else's hat." Axle remarked. Kooh snickered quietly and he followed suit shortly after.

"Have faith."

After another five minutes a pair of selkis entered, lead by a single tall handsome man. They entered the prison and he immediately requested that they release the three. As the trio exited, Axle cautiously inspected the elder from head to toe. He was tall, much more than any of the three, their sole male companion aside. He had long blonde hair, blue eyes and a solemn expression. He wore blue robes and remained barefoot despite the cold.

"Well…he's not as menacing as I had expected him to be." Axle said.

"Am I…not to your expectations?" He asked with a puzzled expression.

He laughed. "Actually, you're nothing like what I expected. I was thinking more along the lines of a beefcake that could crush all three of us with his abs alone. Someone who could bench press the palace like it was nothing but a thing; might have just been my wishful thinking though. You're just…a really handsome dude."

He glanced to Peorth and she nodded, which was not quite the response he was hoping for, but would likely be the closest thing he would receive from her. "I appreciate the thought." He answered. He turned to look at the group as a whole and bowed down. "My name is Jared. I am the elder of this humble village. I am familiar with the Cerebian queen, Peorth, and her trusted companion Kooh, but you are a new face. May I ask your name?"

"Call me Axle. I'm one of the princess' loyal subjects."

Peorth stole a reluctant glance at her companion once more and Kooh smiled. "Ah I see." Jared replied. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Axle. All of you shall be my honoured guests on this day. Please, join me for a meal."

He led the group through the village to one of the largest homes in the entire area; Axle looked around completely astonished by what the selkis had built from ice alone. How they had managed such a feat was beyond him, and likely his companions also, but not something the two would be questioning at the time. Jared stopped them at his door step and turned to the onlookers.

"My brethren, today we have received a visit from Asgard's very own queen. For those of you who are familiar with her from her last visit, I need not inform you of our standing on the matter, but those who have not met her she is a very good friend to me. If you see Peorth or any of her companions in the near future, please treat them with respect. For those available, I would like for you to partake in preparing a meal and a place to house our guests for their stay."

The crowd seemed reluctant about the matter, though none were quite willing to voice their opinions. One brave villager decided to call out to the Chief and question his intentions. "Elder? I have a question."

Jared acknowledged him with a nod. "What is it that you wish to know?"

The villager seemed to have mustered all of his courage to ask. "The Agasura and the Asgardians….the Cerebians…haven't they been enemies since the beginning of time? Aren't they just going to kill us?" The crowd began to join in the point shouting their thoughts on the matter and voicing their disdain.

As Jared prepared to respond to their insecurities Peorth gestured for him to stand down and approached in his place. "I understand your fears, and I appreciate your concerns, but we are not here to harm you or any of your people. Diplomacy would be our first choice whenever possible, but this is not a possibility with many of Jienda's Agasura. Just as you and I can speak here and now, there are other creatures in which we can do the same, but many that we cannot. Forcefully removing the souls of the dead from their Agasuric hosts is often times the only way to give them a moment of respite, but despite this we constantly strive towards a permanent solution. With this lofty goal in mind we have come seeking the aid of your people once more. I hope we may solve this and strengthen the ties between our races."

For nearly half a minute, Peorth's brief speech was met with silence and mixed expressions from the selkis, but soon after the silence was broken.

One of the villagers took the lead and shouted out to them, "Welcome to our village!"

Another joined in crying out, "Stay as long as you like!"

A family of three waved to the trio and said, "We'd love to have you."

Many of the other selkis joined in their cheers and invitations granting the three a feeling of acceptance.

"You could charm anyone or anything with your words alone Boss. If I wasn't on your side already I'd be sold right here and now." Axle chuckled.

"A leader must do her best to be charismatic Axle. One must do more than win battles; they must win the hearts of the people that cherish them." She replied.

Shortly after their discussion Jared took his leave with his visitors, entering the home and leading them through a couple of the halls to a small room featuring a desk and a couple of chairs. There was very little within it, save for a couple of weapons and animal pelts.

Jared sat down before the desk and stared sternly at the three. "Pray tell Peorth, what brings you so far from the human civilizations to our village?" He asked.

"I wish for you to dispel the storm currently blocking the path to the ruins of Xenym. I am sure that you are aware of it, but the Agasura king is threatening our worlds with his return, and in order to stop him we must awaken the God's Governors." Peorth replied.

He nodded solemnly. "I am aware of this fact, yes. But as I am now, I am unable to undo the spell that I have once created."

"What?" She was genuinely shocked by the fact.

He clasped his hands together as his expression became sullen. "As aware of his return as you are, I am. The Agasura from the past generations…those who were originally under him have been afflicted by his curse, and by the day grow bloodthirsty. I am no exception to this fact." He intertwined his fingers as he rested his forehead upon them. "For this reason…_because_ of this reason, my precious daughters have slipped away from me."

"If there is something we can do to help you, it would be our honour."

He smiled slightly. "My youngest daughter, Choky, had wandered away from the village many months ago, and we have all been worried about her. Though I put the utmost faith in my people, I do not seek conflict with humanity, and their disdain towards the race will only lead to bloodshed upon both sides. With this thought in mind I had sent my elder daughter Misty to find her. Despite her disposition towards humanity, she is one of the precious few that were able to escape the Agasura king's dominion. She knows my views and she respects them, so she will not attack the humans needlessly. If you could safely bring the two back, they could perform the task for you without risking the consequences of falling prey to the king."

"So basically if you use your magic, get into battles or come across humans, you might be susceptible to the Agasura king's dominion? Though I _am_ curious, does Misty dislike humanity because of the preconceived knowledge on the discord between the races? Or is there a personal reason?" Kooh asked.

He nodded. "That is correct. As for your question, I believe it is safe to say that it is a personal reason. Misty believes that the humans were responsible for the death of her mother."

"Eep! Didn't realize it was _that_ personal! Sorry…"

He smiled gently. "It is in the past now. Though, despite what Misty believes it is not the truth. Though she was too young to remember it, she was slain by our people." He lowered his eyes. "I fell in love with a human, and to leave her in the company of my people who were not ready to accept her was my greatest mistake. I could not choose between my people and my family; both needed me, but I could only have protected one of the two. My decision has been reflected upon my daughters, and the scars they bear for it show. I will not sacrifice anything further, because I will find a way to hold onto that which I hold dear."

"You show 'em Elder." Axle cheered with a raised fist.

Kooh rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I understand now. So about these daughters of yours…your youngest, Choky? I might have seen her. Correct me if I'm wrong but she looked a lot like you…blue eyes, blonde hair?" He nodded. "About this high…" She placed her hand at a certain height and continued nonetheless, "white dress, little red fanny pouch with a red belt? Child-sized white walrus skin and a stick?" He nodded again.

"That is her exactly."

Axle cautiously glared at Kooh from Peorth's left flank. "Kooh…have you been kidnapping young selki girls?" He asked.

"I wish!" She excitedly answered. "I wanna take her home and make her _my_ little sister!"

Jared disregarded the comment. "Where did you last see her? Do you remember?"

Kooh smiled. "Yep. She was standing outside of the Racoon Hot Springs in the Soprano Snowfield. She looked like she wanted to go inside, but when I offered she refused. After realizing she was a selki, I thought she was a peace ambassador." She and Axle broke out into laughter for a brief period while the other two stared blankly at them. "A-anyway…" She stifled any further outbursts. "I've heard from some of the other guild members recently that they saw a cute little girl around there. She's likely still in the general area, so if we go now finding her should be easy."

"I have also caught word of sightings of Misty in the Refrize Snowfields. I had my doubts on the matter, but if you believe they may be your daughters, I shall set them aside and investigate the matter with my guild." Peorth said.

Though his expression was rather worn out it did not detract anything from his radiant smile. "You are as kind as Remedi was Queen Peorth. You truly are her heir." Jared replied.

Peorth's face flushed slightly as she averted her gaze. "I still have much to learn from Mother, but someday I wish to walk side by side with her."

After their conversation many of the selkis from the village delivered various dishes, often consisting of fish that could be found in the frozen waters just off the coast of their village, and meat from their hunts. The tribe had various ways of preparing their meals and the group was eager to dig in. Some were prepared raw, others cooked to varying degrees; the meal as a whole various delicacies amidst their kind. Once they had finished their meals Jared asked his villagers where the three could stay and the two girls and Axle were taken under two different homes.

Peorth and Kooh found themselves sharing a small room featuring two beds made of solid ice; they were as comfortable as one would expect, but they were not ones to turn down the generosity of their hosts. The blankets they had prepared from animal pelts would likely keep them warm through the night. While the guild master removed her glasses and set them aside, her partner had lay back looking toward the ceiling.

"Are you still worried about him Princess?" Kooh asked.

"What do you mean?" Peorth responded with a puzzled look.

"TJ. You're worried about how he's doing since he hasn't woken up yet right?"

She blinked. "I worry for the sake of all of my people the same. No more would I worry for his sake as I would for yours, regardless of the scenario."

Kooh smiled. "That's such a '_you'_ thing to say. But you don't need to worry. He's a tough cookie! He's survived three or four encounters with Choen Palm and all sorts of other Agasuras. He'll wake up and we'll win this war, with everyone."

The guild master remained silent for a couple of moments, but eventually chuckled as she lay down too. "You are in a league of your own Kooh." She smiled slightly. "I admire that about you."

The following day the trio and Jared stood outside of the Chieftain's home as they made their final preparations for departure.

"Forgive me for asking such a thing of you. Travelling through the Snowfields is no easy feat, and adding to that fact our warding spells, it only becomes more difficult. Once you locate Misty, she should also be able to dispel anything preventing your return to greatly reduce the time you must travel. Though I must admit, she is a very stubborn girl. Regardless of what you may say, she may see you as an enemy, so fight her if you must, but I ask that you return her alive. If she is not severely wounded, I would be greatly in your debt."

"It shall be done Elder. We shall do everything in our power to bring your daughters back safely. I can assure you, I have the utmost faith in my guild members, and you may place yours in them too." Peorth responded.

"That's a tall order Boss." Axle snickered. "No pressure huh?" He crossed his arms. "Say, what did you do with your Warp Crystal? That thing would be pretty convenient right about now. It could take us right to the Refrize Snowfield."

Peorth rummaged through her rucksack and drew the familiar item; the small spherical crystal surrounded by a set of horizontal shards of topaz. "Though I had exhausted the energy within it, it is now recharged. This was not my doing." She commented.

"Surprise!" Kooh shouted.

"Where did you find a charger Kooh? There has been a severe drought of the item recently since many have been leaving Elias. How did you locate one of them?"

Kooh grinned. "There's nothing I can't do for the sake of our guild."

"I appreciate your efforts. Your diligence truly is paramount to our success."

"Before you leave, take these with you, I insist." Jared said. He quickly entered his house and returned with three pelts. "Our village's tailors had prepared these for your journey. Our lack of a need for warmth does not give them many opportunities to make such articles of clothing. They hoped that these will keep you warm."

Peorth accepted them and distributed them to her companions. "Please give them our regards." She nodded to the two. "We shall be setting out now Elder. Until we meet again."

"Safe travels, Cerebians." He waved to them as the three reached out to the crystal levitating in the guild master's hand and disappeared in a bright flash of light emitted from it.

The trio found themselves at the foot of an Iris Stone in the Refrize Snowfield. Standing upon the stone's pedestal they could see the entire area at a glance. The footholds beneath them like pillars, housing the grey beetle g and the fluffy pink creatures Peorth and TJ saw at the Elias anniversary festival called shaggies.

"Any sign of Misty?" Axle asked as he scanned the area himself.

"Nothin' so far. I can't feel her presence either." Kooh answered. "Let's go find Choky first. Where one is, the other's likely nearby. And if they can sense each other they might just lead us to the other."

"I am in agreement with this plan. The Soprano Snowfields are not far. Remain vigilant you two; we cannot afford to estimate the Agasura, especially those so close to the Frozen Labyrinth." Peorth said. The two nodded in response. "Let us begin."

Lead by the guild master the trio leapt from the pedestal and quickly sprinted across the platform beneath them. Leaping across a small gap they came across a flatland that lead towards another series of footholds, on one side and lower in height, what seemed to be a manmade building; the other at the highest point in the Soprano Snowfield, a mystical frozen gate with a swirling energy within it.

"Axle, search the lower and middle sections of the Snowfield. Kooh, you will search the gate and the surrounding area. I will check the hot springs. Be careful what abilities you use in this area. Remember that humans often come through here, so we must conceal our irregular spells and appearances."

Kooh nodded and immediately made her way towards the nearest ladder while Axle headed in another direction. Peorth was not far behind her female companion but diverted from her shortly after and made her way to the hot springs, stealing a glance at the entrance and entering the women's bath shortly after.

As Axle walked the snow began to fall harder than it had before. The winds became intense and nearly pushed him down as he waded through the ever-growing snow.

"The heck did I wander into? Take one step off the main path and you nearly get buried by snow! That kid is probably neck-deep in this stuff by now…" He groaned. "The sooner I get her out of here the better." He tightly gripped the coat he was given to stay as warm as he possibly could. As he walked he caught a glimpse of someone standing alongside a child in the snowstorm. With how much it poured down upon him, his vision was blurred and he could not make out their faces, but he had a feeling that someone had found Choky and brought her back to the Soprano Snowfield. "Hey! Boss! Kooh! I found the kid! She's over here with this lady! Let's get her and go find the big sis!"

Axle continued on through the snow despite how difficult it was. He found it odd that the lady with the child did not approach so the two could return to the Snowfield, but he felt she had likely been travelling for quite some time to have been as far as she was at that point. As he neared her he could make out her features; long violet haired tied in a ponytail and kind blue eyes. She wore a light blue kimono, a pink obi and a white shawl. Next to her was Choky, exactly as Kooh had described her.

"Hey Miss! Did you wind up out here searching for that kid? We were looking for her too, and her sister. Come with me and I'll take you out of this snowstorm. At this rate, we'll wind up as popsicles!" He called out to her. As he approached the young lady gestured for Choky to take his hand and Axle reached out to her.

"Hold it right there Axle!" Peorth's voice called out from the storm.

As he turned to the sound of her a spear drifted right past his head and collided with the lost lady, followed by Peorth materializing between them upon the spear. Both she and her spear gave off a radiant glow as she pulled the spear out of her adversary's face and kicked her down, thrusting her spear into her again as an intense heat emerged from around the weapon.

"Boss that's a person you're killing!" Axle shouted rather intimidated by her sudden attack. "You nearly took me down with her too!"

As she pulled her spear away she placed it upright by her and shook her head. "That was no person Axle. She was an Agasura."

"Seriously? Then what about-" He stole a glance at the child's hand he was about to take and found nothing in her place. He turned his focus back to the lady and discovered water upon the snow and a kimono being reduced to nothing but snowflakes. He placed one hand to his forehead and shook his head. "I don't get it…something like this _never_ happened before. I've been here before, but the ice ladies never acted like this. I can't believe I was nearly tricked by one! I couldn't even tell she was an Agasura…"

"It is not your fault." Peorth responded. The snow began to clear up as they spoke and the rest of the Soprano Snowfield became visible. "Another effect of the dominion. The snow that fell around here dulled your senses, preventing you from sensing her Agasuric energy. If I had not used the Radiance spell, I too would have likely fallen into the trap."

He clenched his fists and sighed with relief. "Well it's a damn good thing you're here or I'd probably be an ice sculpture. Thanks."

"That is what friends are for."

As they walked back to where they began a sudden gust of wind stopped them in their tracks as the snow was sent aflutter all around them; as it began to clear up they saw Kooh with Choky beneath her shoulder.

"Do it again!" The young girl excitedly cried out as she was put down.

"Sorry kiddo, but you only get one ride." She replied. She turned to her guild mates and flashed them a victorious grin with a peace sign. "One down, one to go!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Axle said with a fist pump.

"Wonderful. Let us begin our next search." Peorth said.

The trio returned to the Refrize Snowfields and scattered themselves amidst the various levels as they all tried to find Misty. After nearly a half hour passed the team found themselves at a standstill, not sensing the presence or even catching a glimpse of the elder selki.

"This is starting to get a tad tiring." Kooh muttered. "Choky, you wouldn't happen to know where your sister is, would you?"

The young selki looked at her and blinked twice. "She said if I ever get lost, that I should whistle and she'll find me."

She smiled wryly. "If only I asked sooner." She requested that Choky perform the action, and the young selki did as she was asked.

Merely moments after the whistling died down, a series of snowflakes and powerful gusts rushed into the area and began to gather around one place creating a barrier. All at once it had dispersed and in the center of it stood Misty. She stood taller than the other girls, but was still shorter than Axle. Alike to her sister, she had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes; she wore a red tube top with shimmering golden patters and a matching short skirt, with a large blue walrus skin resting upon her head. She also carried a spear in her right hand.

"Choky? Choky where are you?!" Misty cried out upon her arrival while she searched the area for her sister.

"I'm right here!" Choky replied waving to her from Kooh's side.

"Humans!" She snarled. "Get away from her!"

"Please wait a moment Misty! You're misund-" Before Peorth could finish her sentence two adventurers approached from the bridge connecting Elias to the Snowfields.

"That's the Agasura the girl at the Fight Arena wanted us to hunt." A young gunslinger boy said, pointing at Misty.

"Looks like we've got competition for the mark." His companion said. Another boy, wielding dual blades.

"An ambush? You humans are as cowardly as you are numerous! If I have to fight you all off to get Choky back then I will!" Misty roared.

Axle frowned. "We're not even-_oh screw it_." He muttered. "Can this get any worse?" He shifted his gaze to Peorth. "What's the good word Boss?"

She drew her spear. "Kooh, take Choky somewhere safe. Until that task is fulfilled, I need you to hold the adventurers back. I will deal with Misty." She replied.

"What's the catch?"

"I wish for you to defeat them without killing them. If you can defeat them without wounding them, you will have my thanks."

He drew both his blades and cracked his neck in three different places. "Heh…that's too bad. I was gonna get serious on 'em." He grinned. "But I'll get the job done."

She nodded to him and the two rushed their enemies, Peorth taking the lead, clashing weapons with Misty. "There is no need for us to fight, Misty. I have met with your father and he asked us to bring your sister along with you back to the village, so I beg of you, cease and desist!"

"All humans are liars! I didn't trust you before and I don't plan on trusting you now! Return my sister to me!" She forced Peorth back and with a wave of her hand forced an icy gust towards her.

She blocked the attack and her spear gained an icy aura. "If I must I will use force, but fighting us will solve nothing! I do not wish to harm you!" Peorth stormed towards her again, but rather than using the spearhead of her weapon to impale Misty she swung the spear and attempted to hit her with the blunt edges. Her slow swings were easily blocked and her opponent took jabs in between attacks.

"Your actions and your words tell a different story human! I won't be fooled by you!" Misty parried Peorth's attack and took three jabs at her, all which she easily blocked.

"Your judgements will not be clouded when you remember who I am!"

Nearby Axle rushed the gunslinger and he fearfully backed away as Axle attacked him with the blunt side of both of his swords, pressuring him towards the cliff with rapid attacks.

"Will you-stop already?! Are you _trying_ to kill me?!" He asked furthering himself from his enemy.

"Not at all, but I do plan on keeping you occupied. If you haul ass and leave us to our business nobody has to get hurt." Axle said calmly with a grin, despite the fact he was still assaulting the gunslinger.

"Gimme a hand over here Roy! This guy will kill me before we can get that selki! I value my life more than I value that stupid bounty!" The gunslinger shouted.

His companion stopped in his tracks as he was approaching Misty and turned towards the two. "Just shoot him and get it over with already! Say it was a casualty of the quest or something! We don't get a bounty this good everyd-whoa!" Before he knew it Axle was in his face with both of their blades in a deadlock.

"What was that? Did you just tell your friend to _murder_ me?" He forced the blader back and laughed wolfishly. "Now you've scored yourself a place in my hit list! I _dare_ you! Go ahead and try to kill me! Give me a reason to stop holding back so I can cut both of you down!"

"Axle!" Peorth shouted while she was forced back by Misty and was attacked with a series of icicles.

"I was _just kidding_ Boss!" He leapt towards Roy and let his opponent make the first attack, matching him, swing for swing using the exact same motions but superior force and speed to parry every attack.

"Gimme some covering fire here!" Roy cried out to his ally.

"I-I'm on it!" The gunslinger shouted back, aiming at Axle and firing off a couple of shots.

"Try not to him me, thanks!" The blader shouted again.

Roy sidestepped, allowing his ally a clear shot at their enemy while narrowing the battlefield. An onslaught of bullets approached Axle and he stopped his attacks, raising his blades above his head and bringing them down, releasing an aura exactly alike to the one he created earlier. As if he became an apparition he moved while striking his opponent and avoiding every single bullet as if almost naturally. Their blades constantly clashed and Roy quickly lost his grip on his weapons as his palms became sweaty. With one final swing Axle knocked both blades out of his hands and knocked him aside with the blunt side of his sword.

A wolfish grin spread across his face as he turned a demonic glare towards the gunslinger and began to walk towards him laughing. The gunslinger cowered in fear, backing away and firing as he did, but not a single shot could hit Axle.

Like a dance the selki and the guild master fought, their weapons clashing as they kicked up snow in their wake. Peorth leapt at Misty and slammed the ground as the selki jumped aside and attempted to stab her in turn, missing the attack as the guild master dropped to the ground and tripped her shortly after. The moment Misty touched the ground an icy wind blew and forced Peorth back while putting the elder selki back on her feet.

"Impressive." Peorth said as she readied her weapon and returned to the fray.

As she approached she performed a small jump and as she slid towards Misty she spun unleashing a series of rapid attacks putting her target on the defensive. When she came to a halt she swung upwards, pulling her target off the ground as she leapt towards her with an overhand swing. Misty held out her hand and forced Peorth back towards the ground with another gust; as she hit the ground and slid backwards, a series of icicles pierced the snow in her wake and she narrowly saved herself by blocking them with her arm. She tightly gripped the icicles lodged within and ripped them out, dripping her blood into the snow. She swiped her spear across the floor creating another cloud of snow and quickly healed the open wounds, temporarily closing them, but not properly treating them.

Axle now with his weapons in their sheaths fought the gunslinger alone, still dodging the bullets aimed at him and punching him in response.

"Is this the best you can do? You're putting yourself and your friend in unnecessary danger." One the gunslinger's guns were now pointed at his face and was fired off immediately without a second thought, but it only pierced the air. Axle winded the boy with his knee and punched him aside with the back of his right fist as he approached him with both hands now in his pockets. "You don't know who or what you're up against, and you I think it's better that you _don't_ know. So quit while you're not ahead."

"What do you know about us?!" The gunslinger said storming towards Axle and attempting to punch him but only being caught in the act. After having his hand grabbed he twisted his wrist and pointed the gun at Axle's head, only to fire it off and miss as he tilted it slightly allowing him to avoid the shot.

"I know that you're nowhere near ready to fight me," He slammed his head into the gunslinger's causing him to reel back in pain, "and probably not ready to fight her either." He stomped the ground with one foot and took a step forward, slamming his adversary against the snow.

"Idiot." The boy said pointing his gun up at Axle and missing again as he stepped aside into a trap.

The once disarmed blader leapt through the air towards him and had his weapon in position for decapitating their mark. Seconds before he could cut Axle's head off a multitude of hailstones rained down upon him and pushed him to the ground.

"You sure took your time Kooh. Shouldn't have taken you that long to put the girl at the Iris Stone." Axle said with a grin.

"I wanted to enjoy the fight for a bit longer. You did well handling both of them for that long though. Promise me you won't get your head cut off next time?" She remarked.

"I could handle these small-fry without a scratch. It'd be over in thirty seconds if Peorth let me get serious." The gunslinger leapt to his feet and began to fire shots at the two. Both leapt aside and Kooh raised a cloud of snow with a sweep of her foot, from it Axle leapt out and knocked the gunslinger aside with one of his blades. "This one's all yours. Been a while since I got the chance to fight another blader."

She emerged from the remaining snowflakes with knit eyebrows. "You…you don't actually wanna fight me, do you?"

He rose to his feet despite how bruised he was and wiped the blood away from his mouth. "Don't you underestimate me!"

Peorth took the offensive, rushing Misty with a series of attacks; after discovering that she had the capability to easily block and parry her slower attacks, she had decided to stop holding back to such a degree and started taking jabs at the selki. Without targeting any places that could be fatal she took three stabs and on the third retreated as Misty stomped the ground and icicles emerged from it, nearly impaling the guild master.

"You're really starting to annoy me!" She snarled, causing the wind to gather around the area, every gust like an icy whiplash.

"I must put an end to this soon…" Peorth muttered as she approached again, fighting off a storm of icicles and the icy winds that carried them.

The moment she was close enough to hit her with her fists she rose into the air with an upward stab and descended with a kick, being caught mid-air and tossed aside. Not letting it hold her back she rushed her target again with a short leap followed by three rapid stabs and a spin, all of which were blocked while the last was leapt over.

"I've had enough of you!" Roy shouted as Axle twirled his blades in a challenging manner. "I was saving this for the selki but I think you've earned it!" Axle sheathed his blades and began to dance around in a mocking manner. He crossed his blades and swung them to his sides. "Power Overdrive!"

"A blader who specializes in power huh? Now my interest is peaked." Axle said with a grin, gesturing for his enemy to approach as he armed himself. The two rushed each other and Axle began his onslaught, keeping Roy on the defensive. His enemy focused solely on the defensive and Axle knew he was wasting more stamina in trying to tire out his enemy rather than wound him, so he reduced the amount of attacks he made.

"Got you now!" Roy said suddenly shifting his style to an offensive stance. Axle took the defensive this time, but every single swing weighed down on him and he knew in terms of raw might he would lose the battle, especially against a blader using the Power Overdrive skill. He blocked the next incoming attack with both blades and slipped out of his target's range immediately after.

"I won't rest-" Before he could even get proper footing Roy continued to press him and he continued despite the circumstances, "-until I get that icy princess to say thanks for being awesome!" Axle began to dodge around his enemy's attacks but he knew he could only get so much footing before he was trapped. He stole a glance at Peorth's battle and the two remained at fairly even grounds; Kooh on the other hand seemed to be toying with the gunslinger, clearly holding back as she only attacked him with basic water wizard skills. He began to inch his way closer to her while narrowly avoiding Roy's attacks.

The gunslinger kept constant fire on Kooh but he could not keep up with her movements. Every step she had taken was almost as if she were skating on the snow, making her movements quick and sporadic. He continued firing in a desperate attempt to predict where she would be next but she proved him wrong each time, and with every failure he would be bombarded with chunks of ice and hailstones. As she moved she would occasionally smile, and this annoyed him even more.

"We're not getting anywhere with these two Roy! Let's just get what we came for and get the hell out of here!" The gunslinger shouted to his companion who was drawing nearer by the second.

"I've got this guy on the ropes! Once I take him down I'll help you fight her!" Roy replied.

"Forget that! Let's just go with the original plan! Now's our best chance!" The gunslinger took a deep breather and charged towards Kooh. She smiled and twirled her dagger in her fingers until she tossed it up into the air and grabbed hold as she skated towards him and turned her dash into a rising spin. As she prepared to disarm her mark he stopped suddenly and turned away from her, performing a back flip and easily surpassing the height she had reached as his guns emitted a bright light and transformed into two massive crimson handguns as he shouted, "Mobile Defense!" He fired a single shot from each gun and a string of lightning trailed behind the two as they zipped towards her. She held both her arms out and blocked the shot using a barrier that quickly faded shortly after the shots collided with it.

"That was close…" She muttered. "Oh! Axle!"

The gunslinger landed behind his companion and as Axle sidestepped to avoid falling from the landing they stood on, he had ran right into a charged attacked by him. A powerful gust of wind forced him off of the cliff and he narrowly managed to hang on by grasping the edge. One of his blades fell into the snow below and his grip on the cliff was rapidly slipping.

"Hang on Axle, I'm coming!" Kooh shouted as she rushed over to him.

"Forget about me just stop those two!" He roared, knowing well that he could not hang on for long. "If they get to Misty we can kiss our world goodbye!"

"If it's a world where I have to leave my companions behind than it's not one that I wanna be a part of! You can't just die to guys like these!"

As she rushed to Axle's side Roy stormed Misty who seemed to be preparing a powerful attack. Holding both hands above her head, a large sphere of snow and wind was gathering and Peorth stood a safe distance away with her spear tightly planted in the ground so she was not pulled into the spell.

Her eyes immediately darted to the approaching blader and she shouted, "Stop where you are! That spell is much too dangerous!"

"Hell no!" Roy snarled as he leapt towards Misty just as she caught a glimpse of him soaring towards her. She lowered her hands to both of her flanks as he entered the range of her spell and a massive barrier of snow and ice emerged from all around her, severely wounding him and launching him away from where they now stood to the crevice between the Snowfields and Elias.

As Kooh helped Axle back up she watched the results of the battle unfold and saw Roy being launched away from them. "Oh no…"

"You have to save him Kooh!" Axle shouted.

"But I-"

"There's no time for buts! Peorth and I will handle things here, just go!"

She turned to him and nodded, clasping her hands together as she lowered her head. A magic circle with Yggdrasil's herald appeared beneath her as two wings spread out from her back and she prepared herself to go after Roy. Without a second thought she launched herself from the spot and shot after the young blader with incredible speed, following his unconscious body as it fell into the fissure.

"What the hell was that…?" The gunslinger muttered, still catching his breath from the last attack while doubled over where he had attacked Axle. The moment he noticed him, he was knocked out by the hilt of Axle's sword and hauled over his shoulder.

He sighed as his gaze shifted to the last battle that continued.

"Two down so there are only three humans left…" Misty laughed. "You're not so tough when you're up against powerful spells. Now that I have your weakness I'll end this!" She held one hand out and the sphere appeared again, followed by her raising her hands above her head again to prepare the spell. "You won't be able to escape this one."

"It was irresponsible of me to let those two get involved, and even more so to let them get wounded in the process of our battle. I will not hesitate any longer. The next attack will decide this." Peorth charged towards the selki and her laughing caught her attention but did not stop her approach. Just before Peorth stepped in her spell's range, she unleashed it and the barrier emerged from all around her. The guild master stopped and leapt back before she was caught in it, and continued to move away as the spell grew and nearly pulled her in. "A prolonged version of it? At this rate we'll only be dragged in…" She closed her eyes.

Regardless of the attack she used, she would not be able to get in without being severely wounded, and the more time she spent considering her options the bigger it grew, increasing the risks of her forcing her way in. If she attempted to use her spell 'Broken Wings' to teleport to her spear, it would only be blown away by the gusts. The spell covered every possible angle that she could enter from and using magic may harm Misty; especially using the Cerebian's magic and the Agasura's bane, the Divine Arts. Without it she may fail to stop Misty and only prolong the battle to a point where the others would be at risk also. She needed a way in, that would not get her pulled into the storm, and after the thought the realization dawned upon her.

She placed her spear upright before her as she closed her eyes and channeled her mana. A magic circle appeared beneath her, this time featuring the eye of providence and runic writings within it. She opened her eyes as she sheathed her spear and held out an open palm. "Release, Memorius Sanctum!" She shouted. A beautiful gilded tome appeared in her hand and flipped open, flickering through the pages to one with a series of brightly lit characters written in an ancient text. As it did a powerful blue aura surrounded her and her hair turned white as snow. From her back two wings emerged, much smaller than they were in the Kimara Research Laboratory, but not enough to prevent her from taking flight. As she reached the peak of her ascent, the tome disappeared and she drew her spear, diving downwards, her weapon emitting a powerful light and an intense heat, allowing her to force it into the rock and submerge herself underground.

Merely seconds after her disappearance she emerged within Misty's barrier and grabbed hold of the selki as she disarmed her own weapon, the two emerging through the snow as the spell lost effect.

"_Humans…with wings?_" Misty murmured as the two ascended.

"You still have much to learn, and even more to remember." Peorth responded. As she continued her ascent she began to chant, "_Paragon of might, protector of humanity; god of thunder and hallowing, I call upon an ounce of your strength to end this battle! Lend me the power to level mountains!_" As she said this the two shot down towards the ground like lightning and crashed into it. "_**Mjölnir!**_" As Peorth said this, her entire body began to emit an incredibly powerful electric surge that electrocuted Misty as she did. When the spell came to an end, she let the selki go and her hair returned to its regular colour, albeit how frizzy it had become from the electricity.

"Boss…you didn't just kill her did you? I haven't seen a spell that powerful in some time." Axle said staring down at the unconscious or possibly dead Misty.

"She is not dead." Peorth replied patting her hair down. "Though I used Mjölnir, I had greatly reduced the mana output in it, therefore greatly reducing how harmful it could be so it would only place her in an unconscious state. Had I used a spell that was too weak, she would likely have retaliated. Despite the fact that she was able to escape the dominion's negative effects, she, like all other Agasuras is still stronger. We cannot afford to underestimate our enemies any more than we already have." She looked down at Misty and sighed. "I hope that we will be able to clear up the misunderstandings when she wakes." She began her attempts to tame her hair again. "I do not enjoy this."

"Guess that explains how you got the nickname '_Electric Princess Peorth_' huh?"

"Axle," She gave him the usual stare, but the intensity in it was much higher than it normally would be. He could feel her silent anger every second her gaze remained on him. "It would be best if you forgot that nickname before I find the need to use Mjölnir a second time."

He smiled wryly. "Consider it forgotten."

Kooh soon returned with Roy beneath her arm, and her wings disappeared the moment she landed.

"What is the state of his condition?" Peorth asked as she quickly examined the body.

"No severe wounds, and nothing fatal. He was knocked out by the blunt force trauma to the head by a chunk of ice, and he did get a couple of cuts from the icicles but it's nothing I can't fix." She looked alarmed for a moment after catching a glimpse of the defeated selki. "You guys fried Misty. What happened?"

Axle grinned. "Peorth annihilated her with a _prayer_. Talk about overkill."

"As long as she's still kicking maybe Jared won't have the three of us skinned." She laughed. "So what do you wanna do with these guys Princess?"

Peorth rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Take the warp crystal and bring them to the hospital. If possible, request Dr. Laurent. Anything they have seen, he will convince them it never happened." She replied. "I shall wait for you here with the girls."

After a short period the two returned to the Refrize Snowfields and beneath the Iris Stone Peorth sat with Choky and Misty.

"Well that's that. We grabbed some supplies while we were there for the return trip." Kooh said.

"Excellent. Will you do the honours Axle?" He gave her a puzzled stare and she pointed to the unconscious Misty.

As the three walked Axle's grumbling carried them through the cold. Peorth crossed her arms as she examined the path that they had originally took, and the others that were closed off because of the intense snow.

"I know this may be a hefty request, but I would like to know regardless; Choky, are you versed in the Arcane Arts?"

The young girl tilted her head with a blank expression and Peorth stared blankly back at her.

Kooh laughed. "She means do you know how to use magic?" She asked.

"Uh huh." The young selki replied with a nod.

"Great. To get you and your big sister home faster, we'd need to take this path, but because of all the snow and wind it's not safe to go through. Think you could calm down these storms?"

"I'll try my best." The girl held out both hands and focused as best as she could, channeling incredulous amounts of mana from the surrounding area to her, to create a series of magic circles featuring the symbol of the Arcane. As they began to fade the storm eased and the path became much safer for the group to traverse.

"You're a natural!" Kooh excitedly said.

"Your assistance is much appreciated." Peorth said.

"Where's my thanks?" Axle asked with a frown. "I'm gonna induct all of you into my harem for all of my services." He muttered. "Except the kid. She's gonna have to wait until she's much older."

Kooh laughed. "Hope you can show three girls a good time Ax."

After a couple of hours Misty woke up, and they let Choky explain the situation first; after hearing what her younger sister had to say, Peorth said her part and was sure to include the fact that humans _do not_ have wings. Her guild mates found it rather incredible that she went to such lengths to stress the point, though Misty did apologize for her actions. The guild master had to assure her that she would not receive the death penalty for attacking her. The two had a wonderful time with Kooh as she attempted to fix their hairstyles after they had both been shocked right out of them.

They progressed through the Snowfields at a much more rapid pace, leaving aside the need for mountain and glacier climbing, mostly passing through flatlands(as flat as a place could be in Jienda), occasionally setting up camp and resting before they continued their journey. After a couple of days of travelling the group had returned to the selki village and were welcomed with open arms, congratulations and music. The people celebrated with food and dances, and though they insisted Peorth join in too, she remained with Jared and his daughters as they reunited with each other.

"Choky, Misty…I am so glad to have you girls back…" The Chieftain was nearly on the verge of tears as he hugged both of his daughters.

"Sorry for being away so long Father…maybe I'm not as responsible as I thought I was. I don't think I'm ready to really be around humans…let alone leave the village." Misty muttered.

He smiled. "You do not have to go anywhere. You two are the treasures of this village, and without you it would not be complete. Promise me you won't wander off like that again."

"We promise." The two said.

He turned to Peorth. "I cannot thank you enough Queen Peorth. Without your help I may have never seen my daughters again, and they mean the world to me. I can only wish that I could share even a fraction of my joy with you. I owe you an immeasurable debt."

"Think nothing of it Chieftain. You were kind to my mother in her time, and even now you and your daughters are assisting me in my journey. What you have done for us so far is more than I could ever ask for." She looked to the crowd as she caught a glimpse of Axle dancing amidst the selkis. "There may come a time again where I or my members may need your assistance again. It may even be the next generation of Cerebians…" She crossed her arms. "I hope that we can create a new world for the next generation; one where we can all be more than just allies, but friends under the same sky."

"If it is your family, I know that you could accomplish it."

Peorth nodded proudly but her expression showed a few hints of happiness within it. Her guild badge began to shine and she requested that she be excused for a moment.

[Guild]Peorth: Who wished to speak to me?

[Guild]Amu: Chief? It's Amu. If you can, you should return to Elias as soon as possible.

[Guild]Peorth: Is there an emergency? Have there been more attacks?

[Guild]Amu: It's good news this time around. TJ is finally starting to regain consciousness. The side effects of his mana poisoning are wearing off!

[Guild]Peorth: We will be there very shortly.

Peorth tapped her guild badge and the light it emitted faded. She walked towards the crowd and called out to her guild members. "Kooh! Axle! It is time to return!"

"Whaaaaat? Already?" Axle asked as he approached. "It was getting good though."

Kooh emerged from within the crowd and smiled. "Did something good happen Princess?"

"Nothing worth noting." She replied nonchalantly.

"Your face says otherwise." She sneered.

"What do you me-" Before Peorth finished her question Kooh clasped her hands together and formed a small sheet of ice like a mirror. "Ah…I see." After looking into it she could see that her cheeks were flushed and she was smiling slightly. "How shameful." She returned to Jared and his family and gave him an acknowledging nod. "We thank you for your hospitality Elder. I pray that our paths cross again in the near future. It would be a pleasure to see you again."

"Your family and your people will always be welcome guests in this village Queen Peorth. I wish you safe travels." Jared replied with a smile.

As Peorth drew her warp crystal Misty approached and said, "Hey you…" Peorth turned to her with a puzzled look and her face flushed. "I ju-just wanted to say thanks…for finding my sister. And helping us get home. I'm sorry that I attacked you and I forgot what you looked like...and called you humans too."

"Think nothing of it. God Ah had made us all this way; our imperfections are only more similarities between Cerebian, man and Agasura. Be well." The three reached out to the warp crystal and prepared to teleport as the selkies shouted their goodbyes.

After arriving in Elias in the dead of night, Peorth looked upon the city and her guild members shortly after.

"Our battle officially begins now. I hope you two will stand by me right until the very end." She said.

"I'm not going anywhere until I get you to confess how awesome I am." Axle said with a grin.

"No matter how big you get, I'll always be your guardian Princess." Kooh said.

She crossed her arms and nodded. "The powerful bonds we have forged are what will carry us through this war. I will be counting on you two in the near future also." They both grinned. "Yggdrasil, dismissed!"

* * *

_Next chapter we'll go back to our MC and his company, and the weird new names I took up for the chapters. The next release might take a bit longer since I'll be working a bit more with the actual story for Project H/H, so I'll keep everyone up to date on things as usual._


	3. Dasein

_As I had mentioned before, the chapters would be given a new name and here's the first of them, which is the Harmonies. The Harmonies are the main story, so more or less what you guys are already familiar with. Just as with the prologue, there'll be a quote by one of the characters at the beginning of every chapter. Once the other ones make their appearance, I'll likely give you a heads up prior to the chapters, but I won't spoil them._

* * *

_**First Harmony: Dasein**_

"_The words of my friends in the past and present, and the faith they put in me will be my strength through this journey. I'm not the most capable, but I'll do what it takes to bring them victory." (TJ)_

"That asshole…" She muttered. A girl with long snow white hair, adorned in a beautiful white outfit with golden seams stood before him. "You think he's done and then he pulls some shit like this." She turned to her companion and her shining sapphire eyes glared at him. "TJ, you're gonna use _Aegis_. If we both use it at once you'll burn up all of your and Peorth's mana in one shot. I don't have the time or patience for that shit." She grinned, but the look in her eyes did not seem as confident. "I'll find a way around this." Behind her a mass of dark energy swirled and gathered, seemingly enveloping the surrounding area as it grew.

Her partner TJ frowned. "You want me to protect myself and let you face off with him alone? Absurd." He replied.

"Just do it." She turned back to it and cracked her knuckles. "Even if you don't do anything I can handle him. This is why I'm here; this is my big moment. I'm gonna slaughter this bastard and get my vengeance for everyone who was killed in his name!"

He sighed. "It is just as Vanir had said. A Cerebian can defeat an Agasura, but they cannot kill them. Only another Agasura could." A hand beneath a sleeve matching the outfit his companion wore reached out to her back, and the hand suddenly was coated in a dark shroud. "This is not what fate had dictated for you." He chuckled.

"What are you tal-" She groaned as she slightly lost her balance and a small trickle of blood ran down her face from the inside of her mouth. He had plunged his hand inside of her, and despite the fact she grinned. "_You bastard…you dirty, dirty bastard._" She laughed weakly. "_We finally get to the finish line and you stab me in the back…gotta h-hand it to ya'. You g-got me r-real good._" The white from her hair changed to blonde as the colour from her face drained. Her eyes dimmed and her body began to lose its balance.

He pulled his hand out from her back and with it came a small white sphere surrounded by a blue flame. "It is not your time. I still have plans for you." He released the sphere and it shot down the corridor to the exit, as her body collapsed to the floor and slowly began to disappear from the head to the feet, like sand blowing in the wind. He grinned wolfishly. "Now then, shall we proceed? _Asmodeus_?"

TJ woke to a horrible ringing noise within his mind and he immediately sat up in his bed, gripping his left eye as he took long deep breaths. The sound he had heard was nothing new to him, nor was the searing pain in his eye. The '_Sound of Frequency_' and the loss of sight he had suffered from a certain dream were painful reminders of who he was, but they did not provide any answers to the reason behind their occurrences. He took a quick couple of glimpses around his surrounding area and had deemed himself to be in a hospital room. Next to him was a small bedside table, his corala guitar resting against it, the locket hanging from it and a series of items resting upon the table itself; a familiar scene. He reached out to a small mirror sitting on the table and grabbed hold of it, holding it to his face as he looked at his reflection.

He lifted the bangs of his ridiculously long pink hair to get a glimpse of his own face. His blank expression stared back at him in the mirror through worn out, heterochromatic eyes; one chestnut and the other golden, the latter featuring a familiar unusual seal upon the iris. Despite his dark skin tone, he could tell he looked rather pale, and the amount of sweat he had produced from his nightmare only made him more uneasy. He gently patted his chest, and the familiar sensation of touching the massive gem embedded in it made him feel slightly more secure. His vision soon returned to him as the pain in his eye subsided, as did the effect, in turn returning to match the colour of his right eye.

He took a deep breath. How long had he been unconscious? What had changed in the span of his fall at Kimara Research Laboratory and his awakening in the present? He set down the mirror and looked to the other side of his bed, finding the IV drip connected to his arm. He considered the possibility of taking it out himself, but he was unsure of what kind of impact it would have if he did, so he refrained from it for the time being. Despite everything seemingly being in order, regardless of his physical weaknesses, he still remained restless. The reason being, his companion was nowhere to be seen or heard. He could not even feel her presence in the gem within him, the place where she once resided. The possibility that what happened in the dream was connected to her disappearance worried him greatly.

TJ had to take action; he knew that sulking would do him no good. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He took a deep breath and tried once more, but only a barely audible squeak emerged from him. Mustering even more energy into his third attempt he managed to release a faint, timid voice that called out for his companion, "_Su? Su…where are…you?_" He felt slightly more confident in himself from his success, but the celebration was short lived as he received no response. He considered the possibility that she was somewhere else inside the hospital. The two had never actually separated, so the occurrence was also new to him, and he began to understand that her presence meant more to him than he could have imagined.

He turned towards the left side of his bed and placed his feet on the ground, preparing himself mentally and physically to go and search for her. As he rose to his feet, the world surrounding him seemed to distort and he collapsed to the ground. He lifted himself to his knees and attempted to stand again, his legs vigorously shaking as he did nearly throwing him off balance again. He grabbed hold of the IV pole and proved successful in remaining on his feet. Taking small steps he exited his room and walked down the corridor quietly calling out to his missing companion.

After a brief period he began to lose strength in his body and he collapsed to the floor a second time. Someone turned a nearby corner and gasped as they caught a glimpse of him incapacitated.

"TJ?!" The voice belonged to his guild mate Kooh. She wore a sky blue t-shirt that was tied at the chest with matching bell bottom pants and slip-on shoes just as he had remembered. "This is no place to sleep you know." She helped him to his feet. "What're you doing all the way out here anyway?"

"_Su…I need to find Su…_" He quietly responded.

"Su? She's not miss-oh!" She nodded sagely as she walked him back to his room. "The reason you can't hear here or sense her presence is because your mana is sealed right now." He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "The little princess temporarily did it so you didn't lose control of yourself while you were out cold. Everyone is at their most vulnerable when they're unconscious, especially to 'possession' magic. The Agasura within you would have tried to use the opportunity to take over your body." She paused for a moment. "Hang on a sec', that's not right. Peorth removed the seals yesterday, but _because_ it was sealed for such a long period the flow of it was weakened, and your body tricked itself into believing that it's still sealed. Which is why I'm here!" He seemed slightly disappointed after her explanation. "Why the long face?"

"_She came…I missed her…_"

Kooh placed her hands to her cheeks and her face flushed. "I love you two! You're both adorable!" The two entered his room and she helped him to his bed. "You'll see her again soon TJ, so until then, work hard to get yourself back in shape! I'm here today to help you with just that! We'll be doing some meditation exercises to get your mana flowing, and in no time you'll be back in full fighting force. Gimme a minute, I'm gonna go grab you a wheelchair." With that said she turned to the door and disappeared.

She soon returned and hauled him into the chair without any warning. He looked alarmed and puzzled as she rapidly wheeled him out of the room towards an elevator that took them to the top floor. They passed by a couple of nurses and a doctor that all greeted the two as they passed, each of them bowing as they did.

"_Everyone…so respectful…_" TJ said.

"Believe it or not, all those doctors and nurses we just met are Cerebians." Kooh smiled. "Most of the Cerebians across Jienda had heard of our venture to Kimara and have been cheering us on since. Everyone is coming to recognize you as the _Abellan_, and they're actively joining in the fight against the Agasura. It's absolutely wonderful."

He smiled meekly. "_No pressure…huh?_"

She laughed. "All eyes are on you kiddo."

Kooh stopped the wheelchair before a flight of stairs that led to the rooftop and helped him up, the two eventually arriving at the last step followed by them exiting the inside of the hospital.

"You might wanna wear this," She said handing him a coat, "it's still pretty chilly out." She rolled out a small mat and the two took a seat, sitting parallel to each other. "How are you feeling TJ? Is it too cold? Will you be alright?"

He nodded. "_I…I'm ready._"

"That's the spirit." She placed her hands together and closed her eyes. "You've done these exercises with Su right? It's the same thing. Just relax…let your thoughts and worries go away and your mind be free."

He followed as she had told him and little by little the various thoughts in his mind seemed to fade away along with the sound of the breeze passing by the two. Shortly after he began to feel much less aware of himself and more of his presence alone; it was small, but it certainly was there, and he could tell that it was not the capacity of it.

"Remember that we're one with the world around us. Mana is a part of us and everything else; it's what binds us to the elements, to nature and to every living thing in our world. Take it in, let it out, become one with it."

He took slow deep breaths. With every breath the knotted feeling in his chest slowly began to give way and he could feel energy trickling throughout his body from the original source.

"You're a quick learner. I know you haven't forgotten the basics of casting magic so I won't drill you on it. If you plan on practicing though, be sure to do it where nobody is, so they don't get hurt and so you don't reveal yourself." She grinned. "You're a Cerebian celebrity now."

He nodded with a flushed face. "_Okay_."

She carefully examined him for a couple of moments and nodded. "Your mana seems to be flowing a bit more naturally now. Good! Let's skip the small stuff and take a step up." She held her hand out and a trio of icy targets arose from the ground at the far end of the rooftop. TJ tilted his head with a puzzled expression as she nodded proudly. "Not bad at all. Alright TJ, see those targets over there?" He nodded. "Target practice! Hit 'em with arrows of light if you can."

He nodded once more and turned to the targets. He held out both his hands and three spheres of light appeared around him, each acting rather abnormal. The three seemed to be out of shape and fizzling slightly, and shortly after burst and dispersed, alarming the caster. He fell to the ground looking rather nonplussed.

"You alright? Guess I should have expected something like that to happen after you just got back into it." She helped him to his feet and he thanked her. "Let's try starting with one at a time. The Divine Arts is a big enough step in itself." She smiled wryly. "I considered starting out with the normal Wizard skills, but I don't think you can hit something that far with _bubble bubble_."

He prepared another spell, this time only a singular arrow while Kooh shouted 'You can do it TJ!' With all the force he could muster he fired it, and after travelling a few feet it fizzled out. He began to look rather dejected and Kooh gave him a pat on the back. "_This…needs practice._" He said.

Later that day TJ was doubled over, sweating profusely and heaving as Kooh laughed lightly.

"It's a work in progress, but you'll get there." The guild badge pinned to her pants lit up and she shifted her gaze to it. "Hang on a sec' TJ." She turned away and tapped it twice. "Gotta run TJ, apparently Axle got held prisoner by the warrior bees over by the Longest Tree. You better practice up while I'm away! If you're not out of here by the next time I'm free we'll have another practice session, so I'll be expecting you to put in the work mister!" He smiled and nodded meekly as she spread her wings and prepared to take off. "Kooh, _away!_" She took off and shot off out of Elias towards the fields. He solemnly watched her fly off as he thought of how she may have forgotten that their identity was to be kept secret.

A few days later TJ was sitting outside of the hospital, basking in the sunlight and warm weather when he caught a glimpse of another of his companions exiting it. Wearing his usual black coat and matching gloves and shoes, and the plated headband around his head he turned to his guild mate upon hearing his call.

"Axle? Is that you?" He asked.

Axle ran over to him and slowed down as he approached. "TJ! It's been a while bud! How you been? You sound better already too." Axle replied.

After he neared TJ could see the various bandages across his body. "That looks like it hurts…what happened?"

Axle chuckled. "This is what happens when you get stung by warrior bees. As if their stingers weren't enough, they were sure to stab me a few times with their spears. Though I was hospitalized for a few days I'm in top shape now." He scratched his cheek. "On that note, the big boss asked me to help you get back into shape too, but since I had to be hospitalized for a while I didn't." He shrugged. "I'm here now, so how about you and I get to training you?"

TJ nodded. "Sure. Is it more magic practice or meditation?"

"Magic? Pfft heck no! You and I are gonna do some good ol' regular exercise." He reached into his pocket and drew a small piece of folded paper. He began to unfold it and spread it out across the bench TJ sat on, and then pointed to a spot on the map. "Check this out; I made a map of the whole hospital and then I made a route for the run we would do after I got released. So we're right here. First we'd run around here to the back, then through the gardens and then around this wing, to the next wing over here, then we'd circle around to the front for a second lap. It's gonna feel great to get out there and stretch these old bones again."

His companion laughed uneasily. "H-hey…doesn't this seem like a bit…much? It might be enough for a blader like you, but I'm just a bard! My stamina isn't _that_ good!"

Axle slapped him a couple times on the back and laughed heartily. "TJ, if you're looking to get in my good books you're on the right track! Now suit up soldier! The Agasuras don't wait for slowpokes!"

The two began their run, Axle leading while TJ followed in his wake. As they ran TJ could not help but notice that his friend did not have his blades on him as he usually would; though they let him bring his guitar into the hospital, the matter was not likely as lenient with sharp weapons. Despite the fact, it did not seem to bother Axle in the slightest, while he felt a great deal more vulnerable without his weapon on his back.

"You holding up alright back there? Your ribs aren't gonna snap on us now right?" Axle asked glancing back at him.

He held his ribs and cringed slightly as he remembered Choen Palm stabbing him with a crossbow bolt. "Yeah…I'm alright. After being hospitalized for so long I think my body should be functioning pretty normally."

"Good. I heard what had happened from the Chief. Saw the aftermath too." He shuddered. "I didn't even think it was _possible_ for someone's body to twist like that. Let alone for bones to stick out thro-"

"A-Axle! No more! Thanks…"

He chuckled. "Sorry. It's just one of those things that once you see it you can't _un_-see it. Hard to forget, but let's leave that there. You've been out cold for a while so you probably don't know what you missed out on. Got any questions?"

TJ thought about it for a couple seconds as the two continued their run. "Well…I do, but it's just general stuff. What kind of things happened while I was unconscious?"

"Let's see…the boss has been pretty busy making preparations for the war…"

"War?!"

Axle gestured for him to calm down. "Not _that_ kind of war. Well, it _technically is_ that kind of war but it's not gonna be happening any time soon. Before the Cerebians can put a stop to the Agasura there's a ton of things we have to do. Lately we've only been recruiting more people for the cause and trying to get the attention of any Cerebians across Jienda to the matter. We also started looking into getting to the God's Governor's shrines. So far we've opened the path to one of them, so there's three others we have to find, and then we just have to get the other God's Governors."

"I know we have Su, so we need to find the other three right?" He asked curiously.

"Actually we already have two of them on our side." Axle laughed and TJ knit his eyebrows. "You don't know who it is? Sorry bud but I ain't telling. Anyway enough of that. Big Boss said we can't really do anything until you wake up. Now that you're back the real fun is gonna start. Apparently there's been some new Agasuras cropping up across the continent, and the boss was all like, '_defeating the Seven Sinners will be paramount to our progress towards besting the Agasura_' or something like that." He said it in a monotone attempting to imitate Peorth.

He chuckled. "That impression was awful! But she would say something like that, wouldn't she?" He attempted to regulate his breathing so he could talk while he ran. "Say, Axle, are you scared of the Agasuras at all? I mean…I am. Fighting Choen Palm was one of the hardest things for me. I tried really hard to be strong for everyone 'cause they were counting on me, but knowing I have to face her again worries me."

Axle snorted. "You don't plan on throwing in the towel now do you?" TJ shook his head. "If you ever feel afraid then put your confidence in me. I'll carry all of Yggdrasil to victory on my broad back!" His partner snickered. "By the time we cross swords with Choen Palm I'll be so strong she'll be quivering in her boots. I tell ya', just gotta give her two in the kisser and she'll be down for the count, you know?"

He began to laugh. "You're certainly a force to be reckoned with. Do you wanna take my place?"

The trainer shook his head in response. "The last thing I need is to have that gem stuck in _my_ chest! Besides, magic just isn't my strong suit. I'll stick to my dual blades thanks."

"We're all good at something right? I'm glad that Yggdrasil is so diverse."

"You said it bud, but just 'cause we're a huge guild doesn't mean you get to slack off when training! Now lemme' see you kick it into high gear!"

Axle sped up and TJ trailed behind, heaving as he tried to match his trainer's pace.

At the end of the run TJ was lying face down against the bench while Axle exited the hospital carrying two cups.

"Here you go. You really worked up a sweat so it's time to get some water back in your body." Axle said handing his companion a cup and receiving his thanks in turn. "It's alright to have your fears TJ, and you can show 'em too. We're not all as strong as we might seem. But just like you, we know there are people that look up to us and get courage from seeing us being totally badass, so we do whatever we have to do to uphold that image. I know as well as everyone else that you're a badass in the making; just need to tap into your inner awesomeness and work on your spells some more. You'll get there someday, trust me on this one. Until you get there we're gonna be with you every step of the way." He scratched the back of his neck. "I dunno the finer details when it comes to regaining your memories and the spells you lost with them, but if there's someone or something that needs an ass kicking, you can count on me to get the job done."

TJ beamed. "Thanks a lot Axle. Especially for coming to help me get stronger. I'll work extra hard to show you how powerful I can become."

Axle grinned in turn. "That's what I like to hear. When you can beat me I'll deem you an official badass. Better work your ass off and make me proud."

"You bet."

On TJ's last day in the hospital he caught a glimpse of a small note written in beautiful handwriting with a coupon attached. He grabbed it from his bed and read it. It said:

Dear TJ:

Your hair is a very important part of your body. I understand that it would be difficult to maintain while unconscious for nearly three months so I took the liberty of doing so. I hope you do not mind. Your hair has grown a fair bit over the past few months so I strongly recommend a haircut. In battles, hair can be both fashionable and functional. I have attached a hair coupon to this note so feel free to go see the hairdresser. I shall be located in the guild room as usual.

PS: If you do not wish to be considered the king of the jungle, I would recommend that you tame your mane first.

Love, Peorth

His face flushed as he placed the paper down. The realization that Peorth had been handling his hair care during his stay in the hospital completely caught him off guard and left him confused. Though he had felt that way initially, he held the note to his chest and smiled. The kindness of the members of Yggdrasil was something he held dearly, and would not forget so soon.

"She certainly wasn't kidding…my hair has grown out a bit. Seeing her make a pun that bad is a first, but I'm glad she's lightening up a bit even in times like these…though it's at my hair's expense." He said under his breath.

"_With hair like yours people will start to realize how feminine you really are._" A familiar mocking tone said from within his crystal.

He looked alarmed, then absolutely enthused. "Su? Is it you?! Like the real deal?"

"_Duh. Who the hell else lives inside of that goddamn rock of yours?_" Su remarked.

Tears began to form in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away with his fingers. "Thank goodness! I didn't know what I'd do if you were gone for good…"

The crystal embedded within TJ's chest emanated a bright light and from it she emerged. A girl close to his height turned to him and brushed the blonde strands from her face revealing her bright emerald eyes. She had two golden hoops on each ear and a bandage on her right cheek. She was clad in a crimson t-shirt and black jeans, with a black newsboy cap; she also wore silver sneakers. As she stretched he noticed an unusual looking book hanging from her waist, which he deduced to be a sorcerer's book. Just like him, it had seemed her hair had grown exponentially over the span of the time he was unconscious.

She sighed and wiped the remnants of his tears away with a handkerchief. "You're such a baby! 'S not like crying is gonna kill _that_ bitch. If you plan on beating her you're gonna need to man up already."

He laughed quietly. "Someday I'll be stronger, but until then gimme some time to grow up a little more. I'm not ready to carry the fate of the world on my shoulders just yet, but I'll get there."

She frowned. "Your optimism makes me gag."

He laughed again. "Hey…Su…"

"What?"

"What happened at Kimara…when you stopped me from sealing away Choen Palm. You said something before I fell unconscious but I didn't really catch all of it. Can you explain what you were saying and what it meant?"

Her expression turned hard as she solemnly stared into his eyes. "I…"

He broke away from her gaze and shot a glance to the door as he whispered, "_Someone's coming! Hide, quickly!_" She immediately returned to his crystal as Kooh and one of the nurses entered the room.

"TJ, I'm here to pick you up! You all ready to go?" Kooh said cheerfully.

"J-just about." He replied grabbing his things. She handed him a set of clothes and explained it was just like his old pair, just not bloody and torn from the battle with Choen Palm; as for his armour, he'd need to see Peorth to receive it. "Thanks for this." After he got changed he checked out and the two returned to the Elias' market. He decided to set his questions about the Kimara Research incident aside for the time being. "I'm gonna head over to the salon to get a haircut Kooh. I don't wanna meet the guild looking like this."

His companion seemed slightly disappointed by his decision. "Really? That's too bad. I think it looks cute on you. You're like a life-sized doll."

His face flushed and he averted his gaze from beneath his own hair. "That's not what I want people to think of me! I'd sooner make the Agasuras laugh then I would strike any fear into them like this! If I could even see them…that is."

She laughed. "You raise a good point TJ. I'll go on ahead then. See you soon!" She waved as she walked towards the castle courtyard, and he headed further down the street. His crystal began to glow and he took refuge in a nearby alleyway allowing his companion to exit from the crystal once more.

She stumbled slightly and placed her hand against the wall as she doubled over. "Ugh…I really shouldn't do that so much in such a short time. It's been way too long."

He gave her a puzzled look. "To come out so suddenly…did something happen?"

She glared at him. "Obviously not. If I wanted to sit inside of that crystal all the damn time I would have stayed in it. Not like I wanna see your stupid face either, but we've all gotta make sacrifices." She walked past him. "I was thinking of getting a trim anyway."

He smiled. "Ah…I see."

The two entered the hair salon and TJ inspected it like a child in a candy store.

"I haven't seen this much pink since…_you_." Su remarked.

"Sh-shut it!" He retorted and followed with a grimace. "It's n-not like I wanted all this pink! Marin did this..."

The hairstylist seemed to be gazing at the two with a mix of surprise and pure excitement, which quickly turned to pure joy as she rushed over to the two and hugged them shouting, "Customers! Boy am I glad to see you girls!" She brought them over to a chair as TJ sighed. "My name's Bonnie and I'll be giving you two some really cute styles today! So which of you will be first?" The hairstylist was a young girl that seemed to be no older than him. She was short with long blonde hair tied in two circle braids on each side of her head. She wore a white blouse that was also a polka dot green tank top. She also wore a pink skirt with a heart pattern, a pair of rainbow stockings and red slip-ons.

"Go ahead TJ. I don't care." Su said nonchalantly with a shrug.

The black cat ears on her head perked up along with a matching tail as Su gestured for TJ to go first and Bonnie hurried him into the seat, excitedly handing him a catalogue afterwards. As he flipped through the various styles available his facial expressions matched them depending on how unusual they were in his opinion, especially those in the 'expert' list.

"There's so many I really can't decide." He chuckled. "Su are you sure you don't wanna go first? I'm not too sure what I want yet."

She frowned. "I'm not changing my mind. If you can't decide, let the hairdresser do it idiot."

He shifted his gaze to stylist reluctantly who was sizing up his hair and she smiled. "You don't mind if I ask that of you do you Bonnie?"

"I know just the hairstyle for you missy!" He handed her the coupon he had received and she smiled approvingly.

"I'm _not_ a girl." He muttered.

She was surprised by his response. "Really?!" He nodded. "So you're just a really cute guy?"

"What?! No…I mean…it's not…what am I supposed to say to that?"

She laughed as she took a pair of scissors and began to cut his hair. "You know, I have some guy friends that would _eat you up_! You're just their type." He stole a puzzled glance to Su with hopes she'd explain Bonnie's comment, but she only smiled impishly in turn. "If you're on the market then I'd be glad to get you together with one of them."

He knit his eyebrows. "Well I'm not exactly _for sale_. Is it normal to sell people?!"

Bonnie laughed. "You have quite the sense of humour TJ, and quite the unusual taste in hair too. A guy who isn't afraid to experiment with his look is a great guy in my books."

"Thanks."

"So what does TJ stand for anyway, if you don't mind me asking? A lot of my customers have their initials as nicknames because they're not fond of their names, but they're usually really nice."

He knit his eyebrows once more. "I know as much as you do. Whoever gave me this name must have had a pretty good reason to do it. I'm thankful I have one at all, so I'm not really one to complain." He chuckled.

Bonnie stopped in the midst of straightening his hair with a mystified gaze. "So you never knew your parents? I've seen a lot of adventurers who have been through that too, but don't feel down about it." He stared blankly as she spoke. "Knowing that only made them stronger, and they went off to do all sorts of great things. I think adventurers can take a page from your book too."

"You think so?" Though unsure of exactly what the stylist spoke of he felt that he somewhat understood what her point was.

"Totally! A lot of my customers are girls, and the few boys that come in here all take the same styles. Sometimes you just have to take a plunge to be fun and different from the norm. It'd be nice if some boys would just take some time off to have a spa day or get their hair done or something. It's not like al adventurers have to be rough and rugged twenty four-seven." Bonnie beamed. "I like you TJ. You're a boy who isn't afraid to get in touch with his feminine side. It's not like you can't be an adventurer and look good while you do it!"

"Trying to maintain an image and be an adventurer at the same time sounds really hard…at the end of most of my battles I wind up with torn clothes and cuts and all sorts of other…messy things." He replied.

She frowned slightly. "Imagine what a girl has to go through then." She shrugged. "To each his own I guess. Some boys prefer working out and turning into beefcakes while others like to look good. Feels different for everyone huh?"

He seemed to be reflecting on the matter. "Is there an in between? Like being strong and looking good!" He gestured it was not what he meant. "I mean…well, the reason I'm getting my hair cut is because it's too long! It'll just get in the way when I fight. Though being strong isn't really…my strong point." He gripped his arm. "If I was strong on the outside I'd be…well, strong. But if I wasn't strong on the inside then people wouldn't be able to count on me." He furrowed his eyebrows as he found himself at a loss for the point he was attempting to get across. "I don't want everyone to see me just as I am on the outside. Sometimes I need to rely on someone else to get through the tough times." He stole a glance at Su who immediately shifted her gaze away from the two upon noticing this, but he still caught a glimpse of the tiny smile on her face. "Those that can do that are the people I really like."

Bonnie beamed. "You're a really honest person you know? This hairstyle definitely suits you the best. Here, have a look!" Bonnie held the mirror to his face revealing his new hairstyle; the long pink strands of hair now cut much shorter only reaching his upper back, greased and tied back in a thin ponytail.

He looked into the mirror with his mouth agape. The look in his eyes was lifeless and his tone of voice lacked any sort of emotion as he said, "Thank you Bonnie. I shall take my leave now." He arose from the chair and lifelessly exited the shop.

"Bye!" Bonnie shouted and waved as he left.

"I think he likes it." Su said crossing her arms with a nod.

"Me too." The stylist said with a grin.

Shortly after TJ's departure Su exited the hair salon and found him leaning against the shop's wall looking dejected.

He turned to her with his lifeless expression and said, "Looks good."

Su now had her hair cut shorter too, but still much longer than TJ's. She had it in a single long braid. After he finished speaking she glowered at him and replied, "You know, if I didn't know how much of an idiot you were already I would have punched you in the face. Twice." She sighed. "Anyway let's get going. We've kept the boss waiting long enough as it is."

She began to walk towards Elias Castle's Courtyard and he reluctantly followed in her wake.

"I don't want the Chief to see me like this. I look ridiculous. Even more ridiculous than I did with that 'shaggy prince cut' Marin gave me." He muttered.

"What are you complaining about? You _always_ look ridiculous."

"I know that's not a compliment but I'll take it as one. I can't keep the Chief waiting any longer because of a haircut." He sighed. "I'm hoping for the best here."

Before they found themselves in the courtyard, Su returned to the crystal and he approached one of the six maids that waited outside the castle who waved to him as he approached. She along with the other maids all wore a distinct uniform and each greeted TJ with waves and greetings. The courtyard itself was at its most colourful because of the nearing spring, the gardens boasting budding flowers and others already in bloom.

"Hello everyone! It's great to see you all again, but I can't hang out and talk right now!" TJ replied with a wave.

"Are you looking for access to the guild room TJ? Guild Master Peorth is currently within." Nan said to them with the bright smile she usually wore.

"Please." He responded with a gentle smile in turn. He closed his eyes and he could feel her fingertips touch his forehead as she whispered a couple of words. Before he knew it he felt the familiar sensation of his body soaring through the unknown and coming to an inevitable stop in the guild room.

The guild room was a beautiful place with tall rock formations far off into the distance under the slightly cloudy blue sky. Long vines wrapped themselves around the snow white pillars connecting the arches around the back of the room with small trees surrounding them, and a fountain in the center of it all. Before the fountain stood Guild master Shabur, a tall masked man with a mysterious magical demeanor who had the ability to levitate. TJ still wondered whether he had feet at all as he silently stared.

On the roots of a large tree rested the proper guild master, Peorth. She had short icy blue hair, a blue star on her cheek and ivory skin with a pair of yellow frameless glasses alike to TJ's. Her sapphire blue eyes quickly moved back and forth as she occasionally flipped the pages of an odd and rather musty book. She wore a white silk top that was black around the chest and wrist area, but white around the neck, stomach, and shoulders. It had golden rings around the higher and lower sections of the shoulders that ended where the colours differed. She wore a skirt that was white with a black ring around the bottom, an actual golden hoop around the waist and small wing-like pieces of fabric hanging from the side, and tall white boots with black around the heels and a gold design embroidered on the side. She also wore a pair of earrings, one short and gold while the other long and red, and a large pair of winged hairpins.

He awkwardly approached and waved to her as she shifted her gaze form the book she read to him. Before he could open his mouth to speak he let out a surprised cry as she suddenly rose from where she sat to tightly embrace him.

"TJ you really have awoken! After I had put such a strain on you in order to combat Choen Palm and put all of our lives at risk I thought you would not forgive me bu-" She suddenly began to speak quickly and quietly, but came to a grinding halt as he tapped her arm.

"_Chief you're…choking…me_." He uttered.

She let him go and averted her eyes as her face flushed. "F-forgive me." He laughed and gestured that it was alright. Seeing her in such a state was a rare occurrence, and he considered it more of a treat than a punishment. "After suffering a concussion to such a degree, atop the other injuries you had faced I had worried how severe the effects would be after your awakening. To my surprise, it seems that you have made a full recovery. I have heard good things from Axle and Kooh about your training sessions and it pleases me greatly." She paused for a moment as a hint of realization dawned on her expression. "In case you have suffered memory loss from the event, I am Peorth Emeria Ásvaŕtlim, the reigning guild master of Yggdrasil and leader of the Cerebians. Welcome to the Yggdrasil guild room, a place where gods and mortals may speak." She curtsied. "I am in your care once again TJ."

He smiled and stifled a laugh as she looked at him with a puzzled expression. "It's good to see you again too Chief, and there's no way I could forget you. Let alone your name…though I don't use it, if I do forget I just have to remind myself that it spells 'pea' with your initials. But you don't have to be so formal with me!" He waved his hands in an attempt to drive the home fact with his gestures, but did not succeed in accomplishing the goal. "You've been looking after me all this time so things are kinda the other way around huh? Ah! Thanks for the hair coupon too! My hair grew awfully long over the time I was unconscious so it was a big help." She stole a glance at his new hair beneath his beret and chuckled quietly. "I-it looks ridiculous doesn't it? I thought so too."

"Not at all. I believe that it suits you very well. Pink really is your colour, is it not?"

"Alright, alright break it up you two. Enough with the dramatic reunion. You're making me sick to my stomach with this. There's big stuff going on that TJ should know about." Su said as she emerged between the two. She shifted her gaze to the guild master. "What were you reading there Peorth?"

She raised the book so the two could get a better look at it. It was a worn-out looking journal with handwriting in various different styles within. "These are some of the notes that we had claimed from Kimara Research Laboratory after our mission. Though Choen Palm had escaped, we had accomplished all of our objectives so I do not consider it a failure. Though what happened to TJ is truly unfortunate, you must forgive me for my inability to protect you."

"It's no big deal, really! I know what I signed up for so…I'm in no place to complain about the outcome." TJ replied.

"Did you find anything useful in the journals?" Su asked.

Peorth nodded. "Indeed. I am as of yet to find a way to reverse the effects of the gene manipulation, but I believe that somewhere within Hyun-Shik's and his descendants notes, we will find the answer. Currently their notes only insist that they were close to locating a way to making the effect irreversible, so it is not a permanent transformation. We have one of the creatures, a Corala, sealed so that it will be harmless over the time frame that we will be performing the experiments. We have tried various methods to remove the effects of the gene manipulation to no avail, but we shall not give up so easily. Too many people have been captured and transformed into these creatures, at times I wonder if their minds are still intact. Thankfully, those that only have slight disfigurations are able to be cured by using the water from Sellistar's spa. Currently I have Curt and RoboCurt investigating the matter at their laboratory in the City of Iron. I believe they returned upon hearing that you have awakened."

"Sellistar? Who's Sellistar?" TJ asked with a puzzled expression.

"Ah…I have not introduced you all yet. How rude of me." Peorth cleared her throat and held her hands out to the tree that stood behind her and said, "TJ, Suuba, I would like you to meet Order Sellistar. Sellistar, these two are Powers TJ and Suuba."

TJ stared blankly at the tree's trunk while Su seemed to be examining it cautiously as a whole. As he glanced higher towards the crown, he began to see the true shape behind it. Where they stood was only where the roots resided, and higher up they began to see the shape of a lady from the legs to the body. She had a long thorned wooden tail with vines that rose up from the roots, and despite her body still being that of a tree it had a human's shape. She had long arms that rested beneath her chest and thin hands with long fingers almost that of claws. The branches from behind her stretched out and sprouted leaves and formed the shape of two massive wings. Her face that of a person's and the branches of her crown budded leaves like hair that rested upon each side of her face. The entirety of Sellistar was surrounded by a series of tiny spheres of light, while she too emitted a magical aura.

"You mean that…" TJ uttered as he and Su looked at the spectacle mystified.

Sellistar shifted slightly and opened her eyes to gaze upon the two as she said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Children of the Sun."

"How did I not notice this?! How did I not notice her before?! And she talks too! That's awesome!" He laughed excitedly. "What is Sellistar Chief?"

"Sellistar is Yggdrasil's _guild crop_. There is a fair bit of history behind them." She responded.

"Could you tell me about them? The guild crops? That is, if you have time."

She smiled slightly. "Of course." She cleared her throat. "Hundreds of years ago when the Cerebians first began to make connections with humanity, they had brought seeds from Asgard to plant trees upon Midgard. These trees would not only increase the mana regeneration and circulation on Midgard, but also enrich the plant life and further the circle of life's cycle. In doing so, it would also ease the difficulty of travelling between the two worlds and allow for us to move further across the world in a shorter time frame; the increased mana would also have helped humanity in mastering utilizing mana. The campaign had proved to be successful so the Cerebians had proceeded with it, but eventually was delayed when the humans began to cut down the trees. They used them for various purposes, but more than anything they oft created weapons with enhanced power from the crop's origins to empower themselves against the Agasura.

The Cerebians were not pleased with this, and many tried to stop it through peaceful means, but to no avail. The humans were slowly destroying their own home and there was precious little our kind could do without resorting to violence; if they were to, it would completely go against their beliefs. Evidently, the mana on Midgard had decreased greatly and in turn the guild crops that were planted after the incident would simply wither despite the best efforts of our people. Because of this the campaign came to a halt until the Cerebians could find a way to muster enough mana for the crops to properly reach their full potential. Our kind had decided that the best way to do it would be to have humanity partake in the campaign also, because our efforts alone would not be enough. With that in mind, they had brought the 'guild system' to Midgard and created Instance Dungeons that housed enough mana to allow the full growth of the crop, while also having the humans contribute to our _cause_."

For a moment she smiled devilishly and he looked alarmed.

"As you may know, the Instance Dungeons are very similar to very small dimensions or even worlds one might say that are connected to a complete world known as the _host_. In this case, Midgard is the host to hundreds of various different Instance Dungeons. Through this method, we have been able to grow crops on Midgard without having to risk losing them as we did in the past. In turn for the humans raising the crop, they are given access to a special Instance Dungeon that will assist them in their battles against the Agasura.

Now moving on to the present, with the Cerebians' escape from Asgard, we carried all that we could here with hopes that with the mana we acquire from the growth of the crops, we will be able to rebuild the Bifrost and someday return to our home. Though the mana that we gather is not only for this purpose; it is one of the only ways that we can still collect mana on Midgard. Since the choices from ages past have become limited, by participating in guild matters we can extend the size of our guild itself, and the amount of the substance the room can contain allowing us to have a larger mana pool, therefore offering us more energy.

"So having a crop like Sellistar helps the growth of the world itself, and also offers us more mana in battle?" TJ asked for confirmation. "And Midgard is this world as a whole, while Jienda is just a continent on it."

The guild master nodded. "Both are correct. Midgard was the name given to this world long ago, but it is seldom used. There is a city on Jienda called Midgard which is a crucial stepping stone in our journey; it has excellent communications with the sunken city Atlantis, and as one would expect, is even more advanced than its underwater counterpart. It is also the place closest to Asgard, and despite the concurrent Bifrost…" She paused. "It is the current location of the Bifrost. That matter aside, it is one of the last cities that still believe in the existence of our people and God Ah's family. Some believe that they are searching for a way to rebuild the Bifrost, but it is only a rumour."

"So Midgard houses humans too?"

"It does have some, and other races from the other worlds."

"There's more than two?!"

"Indeed. You need not worry for them though TJ. Just as they have in the past, I strongly believe they will keep to their own and leave us to our battles. Nevertheless, in order to turn the tides of battle in our favour we too have a guild crop. By defeating Order Sellistar in battle we will be rewarded with a type of Instance Dungeon as the other guilds would. At times it will be a battle against the three guild crops to test our mettle as a guild and open the opportunity for us to discover new spells and stances we did not know prior. Other times it will give us access to the guild mine, where we could gather various rare minerals and ores that could not be found in the Forest or Crystal Mines; this would be most crucial to forging legendary armours and weapons. Lastly, we would get the possibility of gaining access to the Guild Spa, a place where we could refresh our bodies and minds, emerging stronger and more resilient than we previously had for a period.

"Hard to imagine that we have to fight her…she looks strong. But what would happen to her after we beat her?"

"She will return to a seed which can be planted once more. Throughout her lifespan and at the end of it, mana is accumulated, and in repeating the process the amount is increased. Someday the efforts of both humanity and the Cerebians will bear fruition, and when that day comes I believe that we will be able to save this world." Peorth stood by Sellistar and gently slid her hand across the trunk. "Until that day comes, it will be a pleasure to have her by our side."

Sellistar opened her eyes again and gently placed a hand on Peorth's shoulder as she said, "Thank you for all your hospitality your highness. I would be naught but a seed if not for your kindness." She smiled.

"Think nothing of it Sellistar. You are an important member of Asgard as all of its inhabitants." Peorth replied. The crop returned to her original position and closed her eyes once more.

"She really admires you Chief." TJ said grinning.

"You may say that. Now enough of my lecture, we are still yet to celebrate your awakening. I shall make preparations for this immediately; I am positive the guild will be absolutely thrilled to see you." She tapped the guild badge pinned to her top and began to mutter something to the guild as a whole as she cleaned up the books surrounding Sellistar.

TJ sat on a small piece of land on the outskirts of Elias Fields and stared blankly into the distance. Adventurers fought the silk worm Agasura within his field of view and the tall white windmills quietly turned just out of it. A gentle wind blew and he brushed his bangs from his face while watching the sky turn a gentle orange and the sun drifting over the horizon.

He placed a hand under his chin and sighed quietly. He was not exactly bored, but he was a tad disappointed knowing that his reunion with his companions was so short. He had only seen three of them, and each was for a brief period. The guild master had told him she would get in contact with him once the preparations were ready, and despite the fact it had only been a few hours, it felt like an eternity to him. After spending so much of his time either travelling, training or battling, having little to nothing to do for even a short time was a painful experience. The hospital visit was nearly unbearable, and though he was released it felt like his stay had been extended an extra day.

He sighed again and received a scoff from Su in turn. "_What are you moping about? It's not like you ever really do anything anyway. Ain't nothing new for you_." She muttered from within the crystal.

He looked alarmed for a moment, but quickly regained his composure; despite experiencing the occurrence many times before, he was not used to it, nor the lack of foreboding it provided. "Usually I have someone to do it with so it's not boring. Or at least a few people like Curt and Robo. The Chief said they came back from the City of Iron, but I'm still yet to see them, let alone hear from them. Everyone's all hush-hush in the guild chat too, so there's no point in using the badge." TJ responded in a sullen tone.

"_I heard those idiots went to Captain Bong's land too. If they've got time to screw around they could find the time to make use of themselves some more. Still, Peorth didn't tell us shit! I dunno why she's holding back like that._"

"Maybe she forgot?" He uneasily scratched his cheek. "She seemed really excited today though; from what I remember, she rarely got excited _ever_. Heck, she rarely showed much emotion."

"_Meh._"

He chuckled. "I think it's a good thing though. Well…a good chance for everyone really, to you know, take a chance to kick back and stuff. If there's been a lot happening while I was out then all the more reason to take a break. The Chief too, was always working hard, even before I got knocked out. You should enjoy yourself a little tonight too. It won't kill you right?"

"_You say that like I'm __**not**__ fun. You looking for a fight?_"

"You're taking it the wrong way." He answered with a grin. He took his odd blue guitar from his back and strummed it gently a couple of times. "I'm feeling a little excited myself. Feels like my stomach is doing backflips. Not in the bad way though! You know, just…I'm just really excited. It'll be good to see everyone again."

"_If I wasn't stuck with you in this body I'd punch you in the face. No, I'd kill you. No, I'd do both._"

"I always knew you cared."

The sound of footsteps rapidly approaching caught TJ's attention for a brief period, but he immediately wrote it off assuming it was someone he did not know, and therefore it was not his business. Moments afterwards he found himself falling towards the ground after the weight of another person pushing their body against him forced him from his seat. He fell face-first into the grass and let out a garbled groan with a mix of dismay, immediately raising his face from the earth and spitting out dirt.

"Who the-why did you…Curt?"

Curt lifted himself from TJ's back and started groping the grass seemingly at random. "TJ? That you dude? I knew it had to be!" He was squinting to the point the reason for his actions were painfully obvious. "I dropped my glasses when I crashed into you. Wanna help me find them?" Though he was now on his knees, it was still evident that he was taller than TJ by quite a few inches. He had short black hair brushed to one side and sharp crimson eyes. He wore a green camouflage top with a black t-shirt beneath it, and his black leather pants were stained slightly green and brown from the grass and dirt. "Ah ha! Found 'em." After a brief period he picked up a pair of glasses alike to TJ's and placed them on his face, crossing his arms and nodding approvingly. TJ caught a glimpse of the red piece of cloth tied around his right arm.

Su appeared from within the crystal and glowered at the two. "You're both morons. I just thought you should know." She said.

"Some things never change huh?" Curt replied with a grin. He pulled TJ into a one-armed hug. "So how's the hospital life been treating you? Think you're ready for more awesome adventures?"

TJ laughed. "I can't remember much of my stay, but after waking up the doctors and nurses treated me really well." He replied earnestly. "I met Kooh and Axle while I was there too, and they helped me brush up a bit. Anyway, how have you been Curt? Is your hand alright?"

Curt inhaled deeply and all in one breath said, "Been doing pretty good, my hand's healed up pretty quickly and Robo had saved at a stone in Scrap Valley so he couldn't return to the Ancient Forest like I did so he's kinda stuck in Elfa until he could find an adventurer that has Elias capsules."

TJ stared at him blankly for a couple of moments and finally said, "Oh! I see now! So you weren't carrying any capsules huh?"

"Oh I was." Curt replied with a grin. It disappeared as quickly as it came. "I just forgot."

"You're terrible!" TJ replied with a laugh while Su face-palmed.

Curt joined in the laughter. "He's a big boy, he'll figure it out. But man…you've been out cold for way too long. So much stuff happened while you were gone! Captain Bong's Land and Midgard have been discovered, and C.B.L is pretty sweet. Literally! Everything's made of junk food, including the people over in Cookie Garden. There's even more of them inside the castle. Though Robo and I didn't really get to check out Midgard yet; apparently it's on the other side of the Aquarium just on the outskirts of the Abyss Ruins."

"Midgard? As in _the_ Midgard?"

"That's the one! It sounds awesome! It's like the Atlantis of land, but it's even more high-tech. Must be like looking into the future."

"The Chief told me a bit about it too. I'd like to see it for myself one day, but it sounds pretty intimidating."

"We should go sometime. Gotta wait for Robo to get back before that happens though. Hopefully he'll be coming back sometime today."

"Next time try not to forget him, dumbass." Su muttered.

"I guarantee nothing!" Curt declared.

TJ's crystal began to glow and he looked at it nervously. "Su…what are you doing?" He asked eying her afterwards.

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "What am _I _doing? What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I dunno! Can you do something to this thing without doing anything…you know, physically? 'Cause it's doing something!"

After a few moments the crystal's glow dimmed and a voice rang out through it within the confines of TJ's mind. "_TJ? TJ can you hear me?_"

He looked rather bewildered after hearing the guild master's voice. "Chief? Is that you?"

"_Yes it is I._" Peorth responded. "_I am pleased to know that the Heart of Yggdrasil is reacting properly to my fragment. That aside, I would like to invite you and those that may be with you to the gathering we will be participating in at Elias' main restaurant. If you see any more of our members along the way, would you so kindly invite them for me?_"

"Sure Chief. I'll be there soon."

"_Thank you for your time._" The crystal completely lost its glow and he turned to the two.

"You guys ready to have some fun?"

"Party time baby!" Curt shouted excitedly with a fist pump.

"Your brain is made of nothing but fun Curt. It's all rainbows and unicorns in there, which doesn't leave room for much else." She shrugged. "Let's get a move on. No point in wasting time when we could be doing something exciting for once."

The three immediately set back out the way they had come into the city.

As they walked the evening sun set and the sky steadily darkened marking the start of a celebratory night. The three eventually made their way through the market to the familiar restaurant and stopped as they had reached the doors.

"I've been really looking forward to this." TJ said beaming.

"We've been waiting even longer than you have." Curt chuckled nudging TJ. "Past few months have been crazy, but I'll tell you all about that junk later. Right now we're gonna party like we've never partied before!"

Curt grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside with Su following behind the two casually. As they stormed the restaurant they found themselves at a loss because of the immense amount of darkness within.

"It…it's pretty dark in here." TJ stated.

The moment he finished his sentence the restaurant had lit up entirely revealing a vast majority of Yggdrasil's members and the owners of the restaurant gathered around in a circle. The entirety of the store was decorated with streamers, confetti and balloons with all sorts of other party goods.

"SURPRISE!" They all shouted in unison causing their guest of honour to nearly jump off of his feet.

For the first few moments he looked downright bewildered, and then he suddenly laughed it off and brushed the stray hairs from his eyes. "My goodness…even though I knew about this I wasn't expecting this many people to show up for it. Truthfully, I kinda expected a small dinner with the usual gang. And to have prepared it under such short notice too…you guys really are something else."

A cool and collected waiter with chestnut hair and hazel eyes approached TJ and held out a hand to greet his guest. The familiar tuxedo and the award-winning smile he gave him were minor reminders to who the man was. "Ah Mr. TJ, you never cease to amaze me with your actions and reactions." He gently chuckled. "Your guild master had been waiting and had planned this out for you many months ago. It was an offer I certainly could not refuse. Though you may have forgotten, I had promised you prior to your venture to Kimara Research that we would host a feast upon your return."

"Verun…" He whispered under his breath.

"It pleases me greatly that you have not forgotten me. It truly is a pleasure to make your acquaintance once more Mr. TJ. Now now, there is no time for dilly-dallying. You have many guests that have come a long way to meet you, you know!" The waiter held out a hand and stepped aside and within moments TJ was swarmed by Yggdrasil's members, many of them shaking his hands and greeting him as they did.

A young man with a headpiece similar to that of the Sphinx's, a traditional Belos jacket, jeans and a coat walked over to him first and shook his hand. "It's good to see you back TJ! Thanks for the save back at the Laboratory. Name's Deva, nice to meet you. Formally, that is." He laughed and stepped aside for another person.

The next to greet him was a man who wore a leopard print hat over his wind-swept icy blue hair. He had deep brown eyes and a tanned complexion. He wore a blue jacket, leather pants and blue sneakers with black fingerless gloves. "Hey good to see you again TJ. Ken here." He said. "We also met back in Kimara. I was the guy who was resting after he got his ass kicked by giants." He laughed with a slightly embarrassed smile.

The next person to introduce themselves was a tall young man who wore tight black armour with matching horns, leaving TJ slightly surprised. He had spiky blonde hair and sharp crimson eyes. "Welcome back TJ. The support you guys provided back at Kimara Research isn't something that we'll easily forget." He held out a hand and he took it, the two shaking with a distinct level of conviction. "Call me Thee. It's a pleasure to know we'll be fighting alongside the Abellan."

Following Thee a young girl with pale skin, frilly pink hair and small brown eyes took the opportunity to greet him. She wore a bride's veil, a striped tank top, and pink shorts that revealed her completely bandaged legs. She wore panda gloves and bear slippers. She grabbed TJ's hands and vigorously shook them as she said, "Thanks a ton TJ! Thanks to you guys we're here right now! And I'm glad to see you're alive and kicking! N-not that I thought you were dead or anything!" She nervously waved her hands as a gesture to emphasize her point. "My name's Amarylys."

Peorth was the last person to approach and she took both of his hands in hers. "TJ, it is truly a pleasure to have you back, and even more so to have you here among the Cerebians once more. In these difficult times, finding even the slightest ray of hope amidst the darkness had proved to be a great challenge in itself, but since having you among our ranks the morale of Yggdrasil has increase greatly, and I feel that our victory grows nearer by the day. With you on our side it is only a matter of time before the day comes where we can return to Asgard, victorious."

He smiled sincerely. "You speak too highly of me Chief." He said with a chuckle. He glanced at Verun and Marin then uneasily turned his gaze back to the guild master. "_I appreciate the compliments, but is it really alright to talk about the Cerebians and Asgard right in front of Verun and Marin? This is the stuff we should keep secret from those that aren't involved in it, right?_"

Peorth shook her head and replied, "The Cerebian history and current information is nothing new to them. Verun's family have been comrades to our kin since my mother was but a young girl."

"Wait they _know_ about us?!"

"Indeed." She nodded. "Though I do not know all the details, my mother had been quite the troublemaker when she was a child. She often visited Midgard without a proper escort or permission, and travelled across Jienda creating much trouble for my grandfather. During one of her adventures she had stumbled across this store in its earlier stages, and was treated to a meal by the store's past owner."

"And the fine chef at the time was my very own grandfather." Verun added.

Peorth nodded once more. "Yes…he was very kind to my mother. On every one of her adventures to Midgard from that day forth she would visit him and enjoy meals with him while telling him all about the Cerebians."

"That's really sweet." TJ said beaming.

"It was in the eyes of the child, but little did she know what she had done wrong. She was brought back to Asgard and was not permitted to return or converse with the store owner again. Soon after though, my father, who was but a boy at the time located and brought my mother from Asgard to Midgard once more, if at least to say her goodbyes. Knowing that he would be punished even if he was a child, he still saw the endeavour through despite my mother's protests. They had successfully arrived and when they had found themselves in Elias to their surprise the entirety of the restaurant was warded to prevent the humans from approaching and discovering them. The two children found the owner being arrested by the Cerebians, and they protested with all that they were in order to stop this from happening, leaving the guard in a state of confusion." Peorth smiled slightly. "Despite my mother being only a child, she still held on to her authority as a princess."

"Upon asking my mother's father what should be done, he had decided that they would let the man continue to run his business and allow the children to visit freely, so long as they brought an escort with them. He also believed that rather than trying to keep those who knew of our existence quiet-that is, in unconventional means, he would make the owner a Cerebian _Confidant_." At the last word TJ gave her a puzzled look and she proceeded to explain it as if almost expecting his reaction. "A Confidant is a trusted person among humans, one that we share our secrets, knowledge, news and ventures with. They keep this information secret and assist us in our journey. At times, just as with my mother's case, they provide incredible hospitality for our kind, as many of us have become refugees. On your journey you may meet others, so whenever possible I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with them and their locations. Nevertheless, through this the interactions between Mankind and the Cerebians increased and the distance between us closed ever more. As for my mother, she had expected a punishment from her father for disobeying him and returning to Midgard, which came as a surprise when in truth he was proud of her; she had stood for what she believed in and fought to protect it, holding on to the ties that we hold with humanity. In that he saw himself and took pride in what his daughter had chosen to do. As for the store, it is as you can see now; it prospered greatly with Cerebian men and women coming from all over Jienda to meet the new Confidant and try the food recommended by the king and princess of Asgard."

The chatter of the guild broke the serene silence that fell among them once Peorth had begun her story, and for the brief period after.

"Ah…that story always brings a tear to my eye." Verun said wiping his tears away with a handkerchief from his suit's pocket. "It reminds me of the days when my father owned the store and the young Ms. Peorth would come to visit with her mother."

TJ remained silent for a couple of moments after Verun finished speaking and smiled. "Your mother must have been a truly wonderful person. Just from this I can imagine what she'd be like, and it feels like you had inherited quite a bit from her."

"Thank you TJ." She replied. "It is truly an honour for me to be her daughter. But let us not dawdle any longer. We are here to celebrate the present, not only to reminisce about what once was. Everyone, feel free to help yourselves to refreshments and mingle among your peers. Among everything else, please enjoy yourselves to the fullest!"

As Peorth had suggested the guild broke off into smaller groups, mingling amongst each other and some gathering around Verun and his wife to hear the details of their relationship with the current queen.

"Hope you'll tell me more about yourself and your family another time Chief. There's so much about the Cerebians I'm yet to learn, but I hope through my memories and what you can tell me I can piece it all together." He said dreamily.

She brushed her hair aside and seemingly set her gaze off into the distance as she replied in a gentle voice, "In good time TJ, all will be revealed. _Both my memories and yours._" At that moment she turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

He watched her walk away and knit his eyebrows. "She's as confusing as ever. Guess that's one thing that certainly hasn't changed."

Su stood next to him and muttered, "You really don't know how to read the mood do you?"

He snorted. "Whatever you say Su. More importantly, let's go get something to eat. I'm starved."

"Hear hear!" Curt said following in his wake to one of the tables where refreshments were laid out.

As the party carried on a person in a large Magnerg came stumbling into the store and into a sudden halt catching the crowd's attention. The Magnerg itself was grey with a round pot like belly with the face placed on it, a mouth like vents and bright beady yellow eyes. It also had short stubbly legs, large round arms with an unusual orange design on both, exhaust pipes at the back and lights at the top. From it climbed a man with bright spiky blue hair, wearing sunglasses covering his crimson eyes and sporting a bright blue t-shirt decorated with yellow flowers. He looked worn out and annoyed, which lead to him immediately approaching Curt, shouting at and lecturing him for nearly fifteen minutes. TJ and Su found the event rather amusing but Curt was not pleased, though it was his fault to begin with.

After he had finished lecturing his companion he shifted his sunglasses to his hair line and flashed TJ a smile as he approached. "Good evening TJ! It's been quite some time since I last saw you!"

He waved back and seemingly examined the Magnerg from head to toe. "Wow Robo…you sure have changed! New MG and everything. You even got a makeover." He said.

"Looks like I wasn't the only one. You and Su both changed your hairstyles and Su got a new ensemble." He smiled. "Though I guess overall I changed the most." From within his MG he bowed. "The new and improved RoboCurt is at your service!"

"Can you get anymore lame? And stop checking me out _ass-clown_." Su grumbled.

"I can taste that venom and it wasn't even directed at me." Curt sneered.

TJ circled around the MG and seemingly sized it up. "Can't wait to see what this can do. It has different attacks from your last MG right? It can't do the same things as the old one since it doesn't have any wheels."

"It's got a whole onslaught of new attacks. It's much stronger in comparison to my prototype too. This baby cleans up Agasuras with ease. Took a lot of effort and saving up to build it though."

"So what happened to the old one?"

He shrugged. "Sold it. Now that toolboxes are being mass produced in the City of Iron, the people of Jienda are studying to become Engineers, and the master Engineers can become Meisters like me. MGs are being mass produced for when that time comes also. You should have seen it TJ; the moment word got out that the Engineer was a possible class to study, there was a multitude of planes taking off for the City of Iron and back here was a massive Engineer boom. It was so big in fact that the Game Master Association decided to host an event where all the new Engineers would gather in Belos to take pictures. Soon after they held another where everyone could go to Ves and catch a glimpse of the Valkyrie Magnergs. It was _the_ _sexiest_ MG I've ever seen, and it should have been me in one of them instead of Ignate or Iris."

At first TJ chuckled because with Robo's somewhat old-fashioned way of speaking, hearing him describe an MG as _sexy_ sounded unrealistic; the moment he mentioned Iris his face lit up with bewilderment and disbelief. "Wait did you just say _Iris_ was there?!"

Robo gestured for him to calm down. "Sorry, not _that_ Iris TJ. It's just another one of those girls they dressed up as Iris. She looks a lot like her, but she really wasn't. If you had been awake for the GMA's Christmas event, you would have seen the Iris Santa they had. She was even worse." He rubbed his temples with both hands. "Not only did she look _nothing_ like Iris, she wore glasses and had a mole…and she was dressed like Santa. To add insult to injury, they had Sir Levi dress up as a reindeer. It was…awkward, to say the least."

"There…there's something wrong with those GMA guys…" He muttered in disbelief.

"It gets worse. Still, it's been quite hectic around here but I'm glad to see you back. Things will probably stabilize now that you're around. As for the GMA, I don't know what they'll have planned next but maybe it's better that we don't know. For the time being, let's just enjoy ourselves."

Later that evening Verun and some of his crew brought out alcoholic beverages ('beverages fit for the higher class', as he called them) in which they prepared across glasses on nearby tables most of them consisting of champagne. They called everyone over and insisted that Peorth take the first glass, the rest following afterwards.

She looked to Verun for answers on what to do next, and those that caught her short innocent gaze quietly chuckled under their breaths. After he whispered something in her ear, she held the glass up and said, "To TJ's awakening, and to our success at Kimara!"

Everyone raised their glasses and acknowledged her toast in unison followed by the sound of glasses gently clashing.

TJ distorted his facial expression slightly as he said, "That's some funny tasting stuff. What is it?"

"Champagne." Curt quickly answered after he drained his second glass. "The nectar of the rich people!"

"Curt, you _know_ that's politically incorrect…" Robo scolded him.

Curt gazed at his companion over his glasses. "Who cares? It tastes good so why not let me enjoy it a little more?"

"If I dressed you in caveman's clothing and gave you a club, you'd certainly feel right at home wouldn't you?" Su remarked with an impish grin.

"Yeah and if you dressed me in a monocle and suit I'd be such a gentleman your mother would be head over heels for me." He retorted.

Her face lit up a bright red and contorted with anger. "_Say it again! I dare you! Say it again you son of a bi-"_ Before Su could grab the hem of his shirt TJ got between the two and stopped them.

"Whoa, guys, whoa! Let's not do that okay? We're here to have a good time, not to duke it out! Let's all have some sham-…shampagnee…sham…shampaan…what was it again?" He asked.

"_Champagne_ TJ." Robo corrected. "He is right though. That was in bad taste and you know it Curt. I highly recommend that you apologize."

He furrowed his brow. "If she wasn't throwing insults all the time she wouldn't deserve that."

"Now now, we're all friends here. You should just knock your glasses together over more of the champagne. Hey! Verun over here!" He brought the bottle and TJ held out his glass as he requested more for the group.

"I truly am sorry Mr. TJ, but I'm going to have to cut you off." He knit his eyebrows at Verun's comment. "You're much too young to be drinking to such a degree. Once you have seen the world I believe that you will be ready to drink."

"Too young? This is nothing! And I've seen the world and I know it like the back of my hand by now." He protested.

"You have seen the world, haven't you Mr. TJ? But you are still yet to see the _adult_ world. In that regard, you are very young."

"I don't follow. I'm basically the same age as Curt. What's wrong with me drinking anyway?"

Curt stopped in the midst of drinking his third glass and turned to his companion. "I'm older than I look bro."

"It's the alcoholic content Mr. TJ. Large amounts are not meant to be taken in by minors." Verun continued.

He pouted. "Fine…have it your way."

TJ walked off and rested against a wall, drinking orange juice and watching his guild mates mingle until someone had suddenly approached. They had long ruffled pink hair, bright blue eyes, and a black and gold sleeveless one-piece. Upon their feet were rat shoes and their hands matching rat gloves.

He looked at them for a couple of moments in silence, followed the realization dawning on him. "_A-Amu…_" He whispered with a grave expression.

Just as he had said it was Amu, now looking oddly gaunt and run down. Her eyes seemingly dimmed and lost their glossy colour, large bags were beneath them. Her hair was bushier, rather unkempt and graying slightly, her expression almost devoid of life. "TJ…it's been some time since I last saw you…or rather, you saw me." She laughed weakly. "Since the battle at Kimara Research a lot has happened. Some of the members of Yggdrasil decided to leave because they lost faith in you and Peorth, or Yggdrasil as a whole. Alicia left saying that it was your fault that Trini was murdered and she believed you deserved what had happened in the Laboratory…Lady Rai-"

She was cut off as Curt and Robo suddenly stormed her flanks and Robo said, "Amu have you tried the punch yet? It is absolutely _divine_." The two escorted her away and Curt stole an uneasy glance at TJ.

He remained where he was looking absolutely shocked that he could have forgotten such an important matter. The people who had fought and died for him in the past, including Su who still stood by his side now. Just because he continued to fight to fix what had happened, it did not change the fact that they were still dead, and it would forever remain that way. Those that cared for them would have to live suffering the memories they had of watching their loved ones go away for the last time, and Amu was no exception to this fact. Defeating Choen Palm would not rebuild the bonds that had to be broken upon Trinidell's sudden death, nor Moran or Su's.

Su emerged from the crystal and sighed as she shook her head, watching Robo lead her as far away from the two as he could. "Trini's death hit her the hardest." She muttered. "When we met her at Elfa on our way to the Laboratory, it was clear as damn day she was keeping up a façade. Didn't want us to know how much she was suffering from it. Somewhere between her keeping the 'Agasuras at bay' and trying to hold onto that mask, I think she broke. Sucks to be her." Su shrugged. "At least she can take a break from her _duties_."

"This…this is my fault…isn't it...?" He covered a portion of his face with one hand as he shook his head.

"You know, it really, really is." She crossed her arms. "No use crying over spilt milk, or it just makes you a crybaby. What's done is done. You can't do jack shit to change it now, so suck it up and deal with it. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, or whatever. Point is, if you wanna make a change the only thing you can do now is not let shit like that happen again. You don't suck as much ass as you did before, so protect the people you care about and it'll be fine."

"That's something that's easier said than done." He muttered glaring at his shoes. "I can't save a life. I live just to fight…not to protect. These powers of mind have scarcely done any good for anyone! Trini, Yuta, Moran, Straw Hat, you and now Amu too…this…I can't even…" He tightly closed his eyes and clenched his fist. "I'm gonna go get some air."

TJ stepped out into the somber night and looked up to the sky. The moon gently rested high in the starless sky amidst the dark clouds that passed over it, still shining its light through the darkness. He sighed and buried his face in his hands, slowly removing them to react to the approaching footsteps. From the doors of the shop Curt emerged and steadily approached him.

"Guess seeing Amu like that hit you pretty hard huh?" He asked.

"Seeing that was like a brick to the face with, 'welcome back to reality asshole' written across it." TJ uttered quietly.

"Yeah that's the reality of the matter. We're all hurting pretty bad, but we're all really busting our butts to be strong through it all. It isn't easy for any of us, and Amu carries a burden that the rest of us couldn't dream of. The fact that she held out this long, and still kinda is, both scares me and impresses me." He shifted his gaze to the moon. "It's all really hard to face. Makes you wanna just get away from it all doesn't it?"

"If only…" TJ muttered.

Curt's expression turned hard. "Look TJ. Sometimes life sucks. That's just how it is. Sometimes you just won't be able to save all the people you wanna save. Shit happens, and you've just gotta say that and take a step forward. You can't afford to keep getting down in the dumps like this." He placed his hands on both of his companion's shoulders. "Things change, people change and sometimes it's for better or worse. You've just gotta accept it and move on, and choose to continue as you have or change with the times."

"But how can I just accept this and move on?! Amu she…she's constantly suffering…she's not_ the same_. How can I just play it off like nothing happened and move on with my life when she has to suffer for _my _mistakes?! How could I just say 'shit happens' and pretend it's not my problem? I was the one who killed him!"

Curt frowned. "What else can you do?! Tell me that! If you can't get over how Amu is feeling how can you move on knowing that they're gone for good? The root of the problem lies in the deaths of your comrades! But it's something that _can't be undone!_ People have died, more of them are likely to die, and it's going to continue to happen! You have to remember that his blood isn't on _your_ hands! The one who took his life was Choen Palm, you know that! But that doesn't change the fact they're gone and you're gonna have to live with it whether you like it or not, so stop being so scared of the past and move on already!"

TJ stared down at his feet solemnly and his bangs gently covered his eyes.

Curt took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm sorry for yelling. That wasn't necessary. I know I'm not really one to talk; I didn't know Trinidell like you did, I only heard the story from Peorth." He locked eyes with his friend. "Listen closely alright? Mourning the death of someone is alright; we all do it. But you can't dwell on it all your life. You can keep them in your memory, and someday you may forget them, but even if you do it isn't going to be the end of the world. The loss of a loved one doesn't need to be held sacred for your entire life. They know as well as you do that someday you'll have to let go and move on, and I'm positive that's what they would want. If I was in that situation, I would want that too." His gaze shifted to the store where Amu and Robo were drinking punch. "Give Amu some time. She'll be alright; I know she will. As for you, you need to keep your chin up. Don't be miserable just because you feel you made someone else feel that way. Your smile will brighten the days of other people, so stop sulking. Remember that to the Cerebians you're not just some ordinary guy: you're _the_ Abellan. That means _Absolute_. If that's not important I dunno what is. Now let's go in and enjoy that party. Someone did this so they could bring a smile to your face you know."

The two returned to the restaurant and joined the others within, chatting and reminiscing about all of the things that happened from when TJ joined Yggdrasil and even before that, swapping stories and adventures alike and telling of what they saw during them. Curt went on an incredible rant about TJ becoming the Tyrant of the Maelstrom in the City of Iron and the Messenger of Light in the Laboratory, and many of Yggdrasil's members threw in their own knowledge about the two forms and the legends they heard about them. All sorts of discussions about good triumphing over evil and the defeat of all sorts of Agasuras by the hands of the many Cerebians heroes of the past followed.

Further into the night the members began to take their leave and return to their homes or those of others, if they had lived in other cities. As they made their exit TJ waited outside to say his goodbyes as the guests departed, and to thank them for coming. As the final members left, a handful of people consisting of Peorth, Robo, Su, Curt and Verun with a couple members of his crew remained. TJ now stood outside looking to the sky and sighing gently.

_Curt was right…I have to accept the past and move on with my life. What lies ahead…I'm sure will be more dangerous than anything we've faced yet. Choen Palm's still at large and there are still tons of places infested with Agasuras. With this power…I can defeat them…right? This is where I should truly shine; I have to be ready for whatever might come. Peorth, Su, Curt…all of Yggdrasil, and even the other Cerebians outside of it are counting on me._ He clenched his fist. _Still…the past is real, more so than I want it to be, and it's hard to accept but I'm going to have to learn how. _He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _I vaguely remember someone that said, 'Revere the past, embrace the future'. I have to remember that these moments are real; each and every one of them. Everyone here is real, and knowing about all that's happened, and the outcome of these events I don't have any doubts in my heart that a moment of this could be a dream. This is reality…my reality, and I'll shape it into one that will rekindle the flames of hope that were lost. Little by little, until the day we won't have to fight anymore…_He placed a hand to his chest and smiled. _When that day comes, I'll have saved this world, and that which I hold dear. My precious friends._

* * *

_Took some time but that's all for the First Harmony. Next time we'll be seeing a new main-side character and his companion, and the main story will be picking up with some interesting new stuff! Though I must admit, that's nearly all I have for pre-written content so it may be longer between chapter releases, but the new content will prove to be worth the wait. Look forward to it guys! Somewhere between the span of the second and third harmonies I'll be drafting and writing for Innocent, because I'd like to complete it before Sanc's third chapter. Some of the characters introduced in the following chapters are introduced in both, so I don't want to neglect it any further than I have. I'll keep you guys up to date on my progress on both works._

_As for Project H/H news, the Prologue is completely and just needs a bit more revising before I can release it. Currently I'm drafting new storyboards for Chapter 1 which I think should be the last time it needs to be rewritten, so you'll be seeing that real soon, most likely on the blog. You know where to go for updates. Need to start drafting storyboards for the second harmony, so with that said, until next time!_


	4. The Tyrant's Mad Dance

_**The Second Harmony:The Tyrant's Mad Dance**_

"_I'd give anything, even my own life to hold you in my arms but once more…in His name I had performed this mad dance for the gods in what they had me believe were my own desires. Thrice have I made this mistake and thrice I have turned on those I loved. Now but once more I must perform for them, to flay the one who started it all, and to avenge your unjust death." (Vanir)_

The following morning TJ lay in the grass of Elias Fields looking up at the clouds as they gently drifted by. The dream he had seen previously remained fresh in his mind. Since the day he had not seen any others that stood out as the first since his awakening had. The fact that it occurred at all, and catching a glimpse of the unusual change in his eye once more left an even greater gap between what he understood and what had occurred. The last time he had seen that change was after he found himself in Atlantis, and saw the dream with Su in the tunnel that lead to the unusual gate in which he had seen his past self.

He knit his eyebrows after finally coming to a realization. It seemed that many of the strangest occurrences for him often pointed back to his companion. She had given her life at Elfa in order to stop Choen Palm, yet she had him inherit her soul afterwards and from there taught him how to master the _Frequency_. If it was a duty of the God's Governors, why would Amata try to fight him? TJ closed his eyes.

The trust and faith he put in her was something he would not cast aside so easily, but the more he thought about it the harder it was not to suspect that there was something unusual in the actions of his companion. He was still yet to hear the answer to why she had prevented him from sealing Choen Palm away in Kimara Research. It was the most baffling thing he had experienced, and the fact that it was her of all people worried him even further. Of all of his companions, she had to have known him the best, considering the fact the two spent every waking moment together. Even more so, the Cerebian race as a whole strived to defeat Choen Palm and the Agasuras beneath her. Was TJ in the wrong in doing what he had set out to do?

"Su?" He asked.

"What do you want?" She responded.

"I…I need to know." She emerged from the crystal and crossed her arms while gazing upon him disapprovingly. He sat up and met her gaze with his own, a look of uneasiness. "Why did you stop me from sealing Choen Palm away at Kimara?"

Despite the fact she now glared at him, they did not contain the usual ferocity they would. "It's because you were gonna seal yourself away, idiot." She frowned and turned her head away. "I already told you that stopping her was only the beginning. You wouldn't have three different transformations if you only needed one to stop Choen Palm. There are other Agasuras…other stronger Agasuras than her." She clenched her fists. "There's no way in hell that the Agasuras' proxy could be _that_ weak! And you can't afford to do something that stupid again or you won't get lucky a second time."

He was quiet and his eyes said he expected more, but it was exactly that which he did not receive. "There's much more to it than that, isn't there? There's still so much more to this story I'm just not ready to know, isn't there?"

She closed her eyes and sighed. "You think I like doing this? I couldn't give a rat's ass whether or not you were ready to know what was out there and what you had to do when you're up against those things. I dunno about the others but I've got an oath to keep; I'm completely sworn to secrecy and if I break that prematurely it's gonna be on my ass. _Fuck that_." She rolled her eyes. "If you want answers so badly let's get them out of that tight-lipped guild master. She knows more than enough, and unlike me I'm sure she can tell you something."

"You're right. Now that things are getting back on track, we need to make our move too."

"I feel like someone is purposely leaving behind evidence and clues to her whereabouts. If this isn't proof that someone or _something_ has a lead on her whereabouts, I dunno what is." Axle said. The guild master gave him an uneasy glance in response. "I've been hunting down these clues for years now, but I feel like I'm getting really close now. I've got more to lose than I do to gain in waiting."

Peorth shifted the ice pack she held to her forehead aside and sighed gently. "Axle you must not jump to conclusions so easily. You know very well that we cannot trust strangers, let alone follow possible clues blindly. The _Seven_ are now present, and there is something out there that is hunting our kind. I cannot authorize the mission nor can I provide you with party members until we can confirm the sender really does have your sibling." She explained. Shortly after she caught a glimpse of TJ and Su approaching and placed the ice pack by her side. The two examined her with a quick glance, feeling the tension from the sense of urgency Peorth gave off. "TJ, Suuba I-"

Before she could speak Axle raised a hand to stop her. "Let me Chief." He turned to the two and smiled. "There were hundreds, probably thousands of Cerebian refugees after we fled from Yggdrasil. My younger sister and I were some of them. She was stolen from me; we were attacked by bandits and she they took her away from me. I eventually managed to escape but I hadn't seen her since. Spent most of my years on Jienda chasing any clues I could to get to where she is, and eventually I found myself here." He grinned. "Never thought I'd be one of the queen's vassals, but here I am. With Yggdrasil's help I've gotten closer than I ever imagined, but I can't celebrate until the two of us are reunited. I'm sure she'd like to join us in saving our world; until then, I'll do everything in my power to get even a small step closer to where she is."

"Then let us help you search for her Axle." TJ suggested. "Three Cerebians is better than one right? Well…two and a uhh…me. That's a pretty decent number if I say so myself."

Axle laughed heartily. "Thanks TJ, but I don't need it. There's some scary stuff out there, and I don't want you to have to get your hands dirty in my business." Axle placed a hand on his arm and flexed. "Don't worry about me, I've got it covered! Besides, the big boss needs you more than I do, and if something happened to you I don't think she'd be so forgiving."

TJ stole a glance at Peorth who seemed to have her calculating gaze fixated upon the blader.

Su crossed her arms and glared at him. "Are you seriously gonna play that lone wolf bullshit on us? I'm already up to my knees in shit that isn't my business and adding more to the pile isn't gonna change a goddamn thing. We're all from the same goddamn place and we're the same freakin' race; if you wanna go get yourself killed I won't give a shit, but if he's crying about it-" She pointed to TJ with her thumb, "then it'll be my business too 'cause someone's gotta deal with it. If someone has to have their ass kicked so you can rescue your stupid sister we're coming along, got that?"

Axle looked astounded, and he suddenly burst out into laughter. "After that speech how could I say no? You really have a way with words, you know that?"

Su crossed her arms and scoffed. "I could be a fuckin' noble."

He grinned. "I doubt you'd let me off with just a warning if I acted without your permission. But if you're not there when the boss authorizes the mission I'm leaving you two behind. Though truthfully I'd rather do this one alone; losing Moran was more than too much." He crossed his arms. "Though it's not every day you get to have a moment to be flashy and cool in front of your siblings."

Peorth shook her head. "We will not let you pass away Axle. Our fight is yours as yours is ours. I will do everything in my power to save everyone, including your sister, so fear not."

He ruffled the guild master's hair and she furrowed her brows while staring at him over her glasses. "I know Boss. I wouldn't doubt you for even a second." He pulled TJ and Su into a hug and ruffled their hair as well. "Thanks you guys. A guy couldn't have better friends than you. Anyway, I'm gonna hit the road. Ken needs a hand and he called the right man for the job." As he walked away he waved.

The guild master sighed once more and began to pat her hair down. "Axle is usually very composed, but because he is adamant on rescuing his younger sister he oft becomes much more imprudent than his normal self would be, putting him in great danger. I do empathize with him, but we must stay vigilant at all times. We must always remain at least two steps ahead of our enemies or they could easily turn the tides in their favour."

TJ nodded. "I hope we'll be able to save her soon."

Su rolled her eyes. "It's time you went into detail on what you plan to do Peorth. We can't make a move until you properly say what it is that you have in mind for us, and explain to him exactly what's going on now. Had you told him before the battle at Kimara maybe I wouldn't have had to do all that stupid shit."

"You are correct Suuba. Forgive me for putting you through all of this." She bowed apologetically and turned to TJ. "TJ, what do you know of the 'Seven Deadly Sins'?"

He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "I don't know too much about them, but I do recall some of them like Envy, Sloth, Greed…Lust…Pride…" He seemed completely baffled.

"Wrath and Gluttony." Su completed the seven.

"Good. Now do these sound familiar to you at all?" He crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he searched his memory for where and when he had heard the terms. "Look deep into your memories to the battles you had been in. You may find a clue in them."

He reflected back on the battles he had engaged in: the goblin king, Trinidell, Choen Palm, Su, Rabana, Yuta, Peorth, and finally Choen Palm again. He suddenly opened his eyes with a surprised look after finally finding his answer. "The seven deadly sins were part of the incantations for the Contemptuous Arts!"

"That is correct. A major part of bringing the spells into existence is invoking the Seven Deadly Sins during the incantation process. Now as you may or may not know, the Deadly Sins are not baseless creations. They are some of the deadliest creations know to Cerebian and mankind."

"The sins are just things that we shouldn't do right? That is, sins that we shouldn't commit right?" TJ tilted his head quizzically.

Su rolled her eyes. "The sins are the vices that broke the bonds between the gods and mankind. They were the worst sins that humanity committed and because of them the humans could never be enlightened and understand what the gods tried to teach them. The Agasuras fed on the negativity created through the sins of mankind and became too strong for them to fight alone, which is why the gods had to intervene." She shook her head. "It didn't end there. Each of those sins became a new Agasura that took the name of the sin and started wreaking havoc on shit. The more humanity committed the sin specifically, the stronger it got, and the more destruction they brought with them. The humans of the past were really stupid."

"Though I do not agree with the final statement, you are correct Suuba." Peorth remarked. "The Seven Sins origins began with Pandora's Box, an artifact from the gods. Pandora, the first woman on Midgard was given a jar that contained all of the sins of the world. The gods requested that she not open the box under any circumstances, but due to her curiosity she did. In doing so, she released the sins upon the world, leaving but one being inside the box; the spirit of Hope Elpis." She blinked but once and her expression seemed rather forlorn. "TJ, it is best I tell you now than wait any longer. I have already put your life at stake more than once, and having Su stop you at Kimara has opened my eyes."

He began to look worried also. "What is it Chief?"

"I wish to tell you how we will put a stop to the Agasura." He nodded. "Though no matter how much we defeat them they always return; this is due to the fact that the sins are still present and their influence strengthens the Agasura King, allowing him to continue to recycle the souls of the dead so long as they are gripped by malice. Sadly, since we cannot prevent humanity's sins, the only means to end this war would be in defeating the Agasura King himself, and inheriting his powers. This is a role that only you are able to do TJ."

He looked alarmed, then absolutely puzzled. "Wait so…I have to defeat him and become the next Agasura King?"

Peorth nodded solemnly. "It is my fault that Suuba was forced to turn her hand against you, so I want you to know the truth now. Without you, we would not have been able to win the war. Even with all the Cerebians on our side, we would not be able to defeat the Agasura King, as you are the only one who could bring him to his knees, and the only one able to succeed him as God Ah's _right hand_."

"I guess that's why I'm the Abellan huh?"

She nodded once more. "Indeed. Your symbiotic nature is crucial to manipulating the Seven Sins into defeating their king."

He knit his eyebrows. "Can you say that once more in a language I can understand?"

"She means that because you're both an Agasura and a Cerebian, you can use the powers of the Seven Sins to put the Agasura King in the ground, idiot." Su sneered.

"How do I use their powers though? Do I just need to follow a similar incantation to the ones I had seen before?"

Peorth shook her head. "That is only for casting the Contemptuous Arts. Using the abilities of the Seven requires you to defeat them and integrate their souls into your own."

"Creepy!" He cried out, appalled.

"Sounds easy enough." Su muttered and made a puzzled expression shortly after. "Wait a sec'. How the hell are we supposed to defeat all of them if no one ever found Lust?"

The guild master crossed her arms. "You raise a good point Suuba. I can only hope that with the Agasura King's Dominion, it will show itself as the rest would. This is the only time they could take their physical forms, and if they are not to bring out the sins in humanity now, their king will not be able to gather mana from the chaos upon his return."

"The sooner that asshole shows up the better. If they don't we'll just have to kick Asmodeus' ass extra hard."

"Asmodeus…the name sounds so familiar…" TJ whispered under his breath trying to recall it.

"It's the Agasura King jackass." Su interjected.

"Now now you two there is no need to fight. Moving on, before we can defeat the Seven, we must form a subjugation team to raid seek out Foe Mansion, within the heart of the Dark Forest and subdue the Instance Dungeon's guardian Pandora, and claim the box. With the power of the God's Governors we will strengthen the box's seals and hunt down the Seven. Using the box as a conduit, we shall purge the spirit from the body and seal it away, then claim their abilities and have them added to your repertoire. It would be best to take some time to recover. Once you feel that you are prepared to set out, come and see me on the matter." She reached into her pocket and removed a small piece of paper, then took TJ's hand and placed it in it. "If you have the time, I would like you to visit this store. The owner may be able to teach you some useful things about the stronger Agasura. He's very knowledgeable in those respects. That aside, there is also something that the guild as a whole had prepared during your absence; many of them have been quite anxious to show you."

Sellistar began to shift and quickly crouched down near the group, speaking in her usual gentle tone, "I strongly recall that a certain queen had appeared to be the most eager of all the members of Yggdrasil."

Peorth's face flushed slightly as she glanced at Sellistar from the corner of her eye. "My intentions are being misunderstood. I only seek to lead the Cerebians in the proper direction; I had no ulterior motives whatsoever." The crop smiled and Su raised an eyebrow with a grin. Despite the fact that Peorth was a stalwart leader, she was prone to be teased by those around her. She cleared her throat. "As I had mentioned before, once you are prepared come and see me and I shall brief you further on our mission, as well as who will be joining us for it. Now then, if you will excuse me…"She curtsied and turned to walk away, nodding to the air, "Guild Master Shabur."

From thin air a levitating mask appeared that nodded back at her. "Good day Guild Master Peorth." She left after he greeted her.

"What the-" TJ cried out.

Beneath the mask a long slender robe began to manifest followed by a face, long sleek golden hair and gloved hands. The body proved to lack legs and levitated in the air almost naturally. A hand rose towards the mask and removed it slightly revealing a handsome man and his crimson red eyes.

"Did I startle you? Forgive my rudeness." He placed his hand to his chest and outstretched the other as he took a bow with a gentleman's grace. "My name is Shabur. Many refer to me as Guild Master, but I am only that in name, as there can only be one. I handle all guild works."

"Oh…Shabur." TJ said with a sigh of relief. "It's been a while."

"Yes it has Powers TJ and Suuba. I had heard about the tragedy at Kimara Research Laboratory. It is a pleasure to see that you are well."

"Thanks. It's good to be back. A lot must have changed while I was gone huh?"

"You have not missed much TJ. Lady Rain and Fae have parted ways with the guild in your absence and the location of Elias' haven Xenym has been located."

"Bad news and good news huh? It's a shame to hear that those two left but I'm glad the others found the Haven; didn't think they had to look for them though."

The guild master chuckled. "Keeping it hidden away from all eyes is just part of the process. If the Cerebians seek it, then they shall find it. This one was not hidden by the Cerebians mind you; it was by the selki tribe. The means were very different from what they are familiar with."

"I see. Must have been difficult, but I'm glad that they came through and everyone came back safely."

"A queen who stands side by side with her warriors is a fearsome one indeed." Shabur remarked.

"I've seen it first-hand." TJ chuckled.

"TJ, a moment?" Sellistar chimed in nearby.

"Oh sure!" He quickly replied rushing to her side to hear what she had to say.

She looked down upon him and soon crouched down to gently brush his cheeks and loose strands of hair aside with her branch-like hands. "TJ, I know Queen Peorth can be a tad prideful and obstinate at times, but she truly is a good girl at heart. She just needs someone to give her a chance to be more honest; not as a queen, nor as a guild master, but as a lady. Whatever happens, promise me that you won't give up on her. Would you do this for me?"

His usual tired expression suddenly seemed to come to life upon her request giving his gaze an almost childlike curiosity. "If there's anything I can do for the Chief I will, I promise."

She beamed. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

"You two almost done your little hush-hush conversation? I've been ready to go for some time now!" Su shouted from across the room.

"Coming!" He called back and ran to her side as he waved to the other two, the Abellan and his partner making their exit.

As Sellistar watched them leave she smiled slightly. "A little bit of love would do them both worlds of good. What do you think Shabur?"

"We are in agreement on this matter Order Sellistar. I strongly believe that Guild Master Peorth should not be sworn off of one of Her Grace's finest teachings." Shabur replied.

The duo found themselves back in Elias Palace's Courtyard and were immediately approached by one of the maids.

"TJ good day!" After getting a closer look he noticed it was Minari and she smiled impishly. "Who's this cute little lady? Is she your girlfriend?"

"Hey Minari, it's good to see you." He stole a glance at Su and pointed to her. "This is Su, and yeah we're f-"

Su covered his mouth and glared at him. "Don't agree to that and try to cover it up right after you dumbass!" She hissed.

"Well aren't you two just the most charming little couple."

"I'm gonna say this once and I'm not gonna say it again." Su said with the utmost conviction. "We are not _dating_. We are not _going_ to date. Hel would freeze over before I ever consider dating this guy!"

"D-dating?! That's what you meant?!" TJ cried out in shock after coming to the same conclusion as them.

"What a shame." Minari said with a chuckle. "I'd love to meet your girlfriend TJ."

"I don't have anyone like that!" He replied nervously.

She smiled. "I did come her for a reason though." The two looked at her curiously. "His Highness has requested an audience with you TJ. I'm sure he won't mind if you bring your friend along too."

"Wait the king wants to see _me_ specifically?!" She nodded.

"Well aren't you Mr. Popular?" Su sneered.

"I'm not too good with formalities…I'll just have to do this from what I remember. Let's get going Su, it'd be best not to keep him waiting."

The two followed Minari into the palace and to the throne room. The entire room was surrounded by maids and guards alike underneath a raised roof. The two walked down the crimson carpet and approached the king at his throne with his lovely young daughter sitting next to him.

"Your Highness." Minari curtsied and made her exit. Seeing her acting so respectful instead of teasing someone was something new to TJ.

He kept his focus trained on the king as the two approached, seeing the man just as he remembered him. Tall and slender with a long chestnut beard and soft eyes. Fully clad in red robes emblazoned with Elias' emblem with a traditional headdress. Once they had reached an appropriate distance the two knelt before him.

"My Liege." They said in unison.

He smiled gently as he gestured for them to rise. "Please, raise your heads. Both of you are my honoured guests. Though, I do believe that it is the first time that we have met this young lady. If I may, would you indulge me with your name?" Hejong requested.

She blinked, then immediately regained her composure and responded, "My name's Suuba, y-your Highness."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Suuba. An ally of TJ's is always welcome in the city of Elias. He had been a valuable asset to our militia previously, defeating the goblin king with the assistance of a young gunslinger named Trinidell. I believe in this time of need, I would like to enlist your help once more young TJ."

"It would be my honour." He replied.

The king chuckled. "You are as brave as I had hoped." Hejong snapped his fingers and a maid brought a scroll over to him, revealing the quest's requirements. "There seems to have been various sightings of a creature the adventurers had named a 'Muscling'." One of the guards approached and unfurled a scroll revealing a depiction of the creature. TJ squinted at it, deeming it to be an oversized and unnaturally muscular priring. The fact that it seemed to have arms and hands came off as unusual to him, but it was nothing more than a depiction of the creature. "In your adventures you may have come across something of the sort."

"I do believe I saw something very similar to it…" He began to recall the 'muscle boy' he had seen back on Toad Mountain.

"Normally musclings are not found on Jienda. Where they come from is currently unknown, but that is not what ails us." TJ gave the king a curious gaze and was met with a grave expression. "This muscling is not like the others you see…it has…deformed. It has grown limbs." TJ's expression began to look grave also after realizing the depiction was much more accurate than what he initially believed, and that the creature was in fact different than the muscle boy. "The creature is very vicious, and aside from bringing serious harm to the newcomer adventurers, it has also attacked traders and their caravans en route from Belos to Elias. Some reports claim the creature has obtained the ability to use magic. The Forest is no longer a safe place for adventurers and traders alike, so this vile creature must be stopped at all costs! What say you, TJ?"

He nodded solemnly. "Su and I will exterminate this creature for you, your Highness. You can count on us."

Hejong nodded approvingly. "We shall be counting on you once more TJ. As listed, transportation and meals for your journey will be provided. I wish you the best on your journey and that you return victorious."

"Thank you your Highness." The two said. They both took a bow and were guided back out of the castle and into the courtyard.

As they exited TJ sighed gently. "I remember it so clearly. That day Trini and I fought the goblin king and how we came back hailed as heroes…I…took those days for granted. Never thought that they would end, especially the way it had. With everyone by my side I felt so invincible, as if nothing could stop us…as if death was something the six of us were immune to. The thought that the others can fall scares me."

"You've heard us say it a million times before and I'll say it again now. Shit happens. Deal." Su remarked without batting an eyelash.

He cracked a tiny smile and she gained the sneaking suspicion that he had grown to enjoy her typical backlash. "You know just what to say, don't you? Have I ever told you that?"

"You're not the first, and you're not gonna be the last." She grinned.

He looked to the sky as the two walked. "After being out cold for so long and spending so much time in the hospital after getting up, I've realized that I wasted a lot of time. Now that I'm finally out I wanna make the best of it, each and every day. I'll strive to be better day by day also. For my sake our friends sacrificed a lot so with this power I'll do everything I can to save everyone!"

She snorted. "Heh, good luck with that. Keep telling yourself that while I'm hauling your ass out of every sticky situation you find yourself in."

He smiled. "I'll be counting on you again throughout this journey."

As the two neared the exit they were surrounded by a flock of maids from TJ's previous visit that bombarded the two with various questions about their next quest and all sorts of other inquiries. The straw that broke the camel's back just so happened to be Suk asking if Su was his girlfriend.

One of Su's eyebrows began to twitch which led to her pointing her finger at each of the maids as she muttered, "The next one of you to assume I'm this loser's girlfriend won't be making it home tonight."

They all began to pretend to scream and laugh at the comment to which TJ joined in also, but none of it seemed to really bother Su.

"Ladies, let's not keep the driver waiting!" Minari said. "Time to say goodbye."

Nengi took their hands. "Have a safe trip!" She said.

Genari followed after handing TJ a large box wrapped with a cloth. "If you get hungry during your quest you and your companion can eat this. I hope it's to your tastes." She told him.

"Thanks a lot." He said beaming.

Dalae stepped up afterwards tightly gripping a broom. "Take care of yourselves out there. Though it might not look like it, I'm very handy with patching up wounds, so if you get hurt we'll take care of you."

Suk stepped up afterwards and patted the two hard on their backs. "Try and come back in one piece alright? If your clothes don't, I'll fix them for you before you know it."

"If you don't find the time to inform your guild companions of your absence, I'll let them know as they visit." Nan said.

"Thanks everyone. As long as the two of us are together, I know we'll come back alright. Or at least, in one piece." He laughed. "See you again real soon!"

"Later." Su said with a wave as she turned away to follow her companion and Minari.

The trio walked to the streets and found a luxurious carriage that awaited them. A driver dressed in the palace garb sat at the front of the closed vehicle holding the reigns. Two abnormally large prirings sat at the front, ready to pull the carriage at the driver's signal.

Minari turned to the two and hugged them tightly. "Best of luck kids." She nudged TJ gently as Su stepped inside the vehicle and gestured for him to come closer. "It's not every day you get a chance to be alone with a cutie like that! Better make a move before she's taken!"

"We're not dating!" He said in a flustered voice. "Su and I aren't like that."

She grinned and patted him on the head. "Stay pure kiddo."

He smiled back at her as he got in. "Take care Minari." The door closed and the carriage set off northwest to the Ancient Forest.

"Well…this is certainly…fancy." TJ began with a puzzled expression.

"Livin' like a king. Guess this is what it'd be like to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth." Su commented. Though she made such comments, she did not seem to be basking in the extravagance. She watched the scenery of Elias pass her by from the window while he silently stared at a wall. After a brief period she shifted her gaze to him. "Stupid." She did not receive a response and frowned. "TJ." Nothing on her second attempt. "Hey!"

"He nearly leapt from his seat at her call. "What?!" As he calmed down and caught the smirk on her face, he paused for a moment to frown. "What?

"Listen up. I didn't tell you before 'cause I thought it was too soon but this probably shouldn't remain a secret." She said gravely.

"What is it? It's not like you to sound so serious all of the sudden."

She seemed to be eyeing something that did not exist outside the window. "I've been sensing a heavy malicious aura in Elias for a hell of a long time now. It only happened a few times and it seems to have pretty much disappeared recently, but I can still feel the remains of it in the city." She grit her teeth. "Can't pinpoint the damn location. Well whatever. Whatever the source is, it sure as hell isn't there now. Damn thing packed up and hauled ass to the Forest. I can feel the aura getting stronger every second we approach the place. Don't you feel anything at all?"

He shook his head and crossed his arms. "A malicious aura huh? Do you think that's one of the Seven Sins?" He asked.

She glared at him. "How the hell should I know? If it is, it waited a damn long time to show itself. I've been feeling its presence since the first time I came near Elias. The only possible Sin it could be is Lust, since that fucker was the only one who wasn't listed as KIA. The other six lost to the Cerebians and disappeared after that. Now that asshole Asmodeus is flaunting his powers around and the other six decided to join in his stupid celebration; that ass-clown Lust probably decided to finally show up. Then again, this one couldn't be an Agasura."

"Because it was inside the city right?"

She nodded darkly. "The Iris Stones are supposed to keep them out. I doubt that this ass-hat is even a sin. It has an even more overpowering aura than Choen Palm, and not even the Seven should be stronger than the proxy."

TJ closed his eyes and thought hard. "If the aura was coming from the city _before_ we met with Choen Palm in Kimara, it couldn't be her right? I mean, if the Agasura King's influence made her stronger too then it could be the only possible option, since she's next in line as the strongest Agasura, and nothing other than the king himself should be more powerful than her. But how could she be in Elias all that time, and be at Kimara? Rather than that, what would she be doing in Elias? On the other hand, if it's not her, and it's not an Agasura, could it just be a person?" He suggested.

"You're right."

He snorted. "You're joking!"

"Someone able to infiltrate the city and remained there for a long time without attracting the attention of the humans…a dark aura that's more befitting of the Contemptuous Arts than any regular Agasuric spells…it'd have to be an outside source! When I got hauled off to Dark Moon Castle for the first time I sensed that energy while passing the city. There's no way its Choen Palm _because_ she was with the Dark Moon's army at the time. Or…at least what was left of the bastards anyway."

TJ knit his eyebrows with a confused expression. "But wouldn't you have to have some sort of connection with the Agasuras to use their magic and whatnot? If that's even possible…"

Su nodded thoughtfully. "I don't think that's how it is at all. Think back to the battle at the City of Iron with Yuta. When you took on your _Tyrant of the Maelstrom_ form, it gave you all sorts of new and powerful abilities. Hell, they weren't even the Contemptuous Arts."

"They…weren't?"

"No stupid!" She shouted and he shrunk away. " Some were, but the others were something else. Something that went beyond that. I felt it too when it became a part of us. It was almost as if the malice and spite of thousands of people manifested into a creature…" She shook her head as her entire body shuddered at the thought. For the few seconds that it occurred, she had seemed frailer than ever before. "Some kind of twisted being born from…_hate_. I'm getting that same feeling now but…just not from us. This time though it feels even stronger…stronger than the Tyrant of the Maelstrom." She shook her head and closed her eyes as she rubbed her temples. "It's almost sickening."

"Stronger than the…no way!" He cried.

As she opened her eyes he could see the anxiety in them. "That's how it is. In the off chance we do meet that overpowered bastard you better be ready."

"I hope I can be." He sighed.

TJ looked out the window and saw as the dry but not quite barren land of the Ancient Forest disappear into the distance and the lush grass of the Forest come into view. The more he had seen the more it reminded him of the beginning of his journey. He remembered seeing the vision from the Iris Stone of his past self and what Choen Palm had put him through, and fondly thought of the short time he had spent with Dornie and her family from the Traveller's Heaven. As he reminisced about how far he had come, the carriage suddenly came to a halt and brought him back to reality.

The driver knocked on the door gently three times and opened it, bowing as the two exited.

"Forgive me, but we do not have the exact location of the creature as it is rather mobile and extremely dangerous. On behalf of the kingdom, I wish you success and a safe return once your quest is complete, honoured guests."

"Thanks a lot. Be careful on your way back." TJ told him. The driver tipped his hat to him and set off back towards the palace. "Well, we're here now so let's get a move on with finding that…Muscling."

The Forest had proven to be exactly as TJ had remembered it. The sprawling length and acres of massive trees reaching out towards the sky, higher than any trees he could recall. The lengthy branches proved to be rather inviting, as their size allowed for adventurers and passerby alike to walk on them with the utmost ease. The unnatural emptiness of the Forest made it much more uninviting in comparison to what he had become familiar with. Though most of the adventurers he met did not like him, knowing that there were others like him around gave him a subconscious sense of security. He began to wonder whether it really was the Muscling that had chased everyone away, or if it was the mystery creature that not even Su could identify. He tightly clenched his fist and looked around uneasily, but reminded himself that so long as Su was beside him that he would be alright.

Without a moment's notice his moment of respite came crashing down upon him through Su's words. "We should split up." She suddenly said.

"What?! Are you nuts?!" TJ desperately cried out. "If that thing finds me it'll crush me!"

"Stop complaining and grow a pair will you? We can cover more ground this way, and if we do find the damn thing we can find each other. If you find it, summon me. No matter how far apart we are, our contract and your crystal has us joined by the damn hip. You call for me, I'll be there. Nothing else to it. But I can't do the same for you 'cause you're the contractor. If I do find it I'll 'whisper' you through the crystal like I normally do. Just pay attention for my aura and you'll be able to find your way to me. Even an idiot like you should be able to handle that much. You got all that?" He frowned sulkily and she turned away. "Good. Let's get going."

She dashed up one of the trees and stopped on a branch, taking a moment to plan where she would go to next and leapt to another, quickly moving from one tree to the next until she was completely out of sight. He watched her uneasily as she left his field of vision and sighed gently while gripping his left arm. Now he really was alone, and he certainly was not fond of it, but he knew his companion was right. He took a deep breath and attempted to reassure himself that if he could defeat Choen Palm, he could handle a muscling, though he could not convince himself that he would be able to defeat something stronger than the Tyrant of the Maelstrom.

The young man walked through the Forest occasionally stealing a glance at anything that happened to make a sound in the near vicinity. The noise of birds beating their wings caused him to jump and the squeaks of nearby beetle gs made him turn in every possible direction. He started to become self-conscious of how jittery he was and tried to right himself by standing up straight and walking with confidence, but one of the beetle gs approached him and nudged his leg causing him to leap back and shout in sheer terror. Before he knew it he was tumbling down a hill and rolling through the grass, coming to an eventual and painful halt. He managed to get back on his feet and dusted off his clothes, gently rubbing the areas that hurt the most. He looked around him knowing that he had no destination and wandered on convincing himself that he could go on.

After walking for nearly a half hour that felt longer than hours he collapsed by a tree and decided to rest for a spell. His body was sore and tired, and he spent most of his energy panicking at every sound around him that he could not muster the energy to do it any further. He removed his bag and guitar then leaned against a tree, taking a quick glance around the area in case anyone was nearby. After deeming it safe he closed his eyes and gently placed his hands against his gem.

"Su? Su can you hear me?" He asked.

"_Yeah I can. Whaddya' want?_" She responded from within it.

"I was thinking of eating now. Do you want to?"

"_I don't need to eat you dumbass!_" She shouted back.

He chuckled uneasily realizing how logical her response was. "…Right." The crystal lost its glow seemingly ending their conversation there. He sighed and shook his head realizing how ridiculous his request was and it made him question exactly what made him say something with so little thought. For a moment he had considered himself to be feeling lonely because of the lack of her presence and her razor sharp one-liners, but he immediately wrote it off as not being the cause and dropped the matter entirely. In a meager attempt to escape the reality that plagued him he opened one of the lunchboxes and found bulldajong, sikhae and provided utensils. He ate in silence holding a slight hope that Su would say that she had found the muscling and that the two could put an end to their search, but his hopes were in vain.

Once he had finished his meal he had felt better than he had prior, and considered the possibility that a bit more rest would properly prepare him to continue his search. He rummaged through his bag for his monster manual and eventually found the familiar item, reminiscing about the fantastic adventures he must have had and the amusing captions he included in the book. He opened it and flipped through the pages until he found a passage on musclings. As he began to read it a sudden vibration caught his attention and the uneasiness in him returned in an instant. He chuckled nervously and immediately wrote it off as a small earthquake, and convinced himself it was nothing to fear. A second vibration caused him to dart his glances around the surrounding area as he struggled to deceive himself into believing that it really was nothing more than a small quake. He began to consider the possibility that it was just Su trying to scare him. She liked getting him all riled up over small things so it was not entirely unlikely that she would do something of the sort. God's Governor of Earth probably could cause small earthquakes if she tried hard enough. He placed a hand to his chest and let out a sigh of relief. He would certainly give her the scolding of a lifetime when she put an end to the nonsense. A third earthquake caused him to leap to his feet and drop the book. If it was Su's doing, she was taking it a tad too far. The birds cried out as they flew away from the west and the feeling that whatever was causing it was coming from that direction became very dominant in his mind. Curiosity said that he should look; his sanity disagreed. Despite the fact that he would rather not know, his curiosity overpowered his desire for ignorance and he took a look behind the tree he sat at.

As he peeked around the tree he saw a massive muscular creature leaping through the air with the use of its gigantic hands and as it landed, a magic circle appeared beneath it and lightning shot out in every direction. Of all the years TJ had spent on Jienda and the things he had seen throughout his journey, he had never seen anything quite like the creature; if there was anything that could potentially be called a 'muscling' this had to be it. The muscling like a priring, had a body with its face on it, though despite its lack of legs the creature still had arms that it used to move even faster than it should have been able to without them. The vicious glare it gave off only served to make it more intimidating.

"_What the…_" TJ whispered as he caught a glimpse of it rushing past. As he watched it go for a moment he had wondered exactly what could scare off the exact creature that scared everyone else away. The moment the thought had passed he was bombarded with a sudden sickening feeling across his body. He wanted to throw up, not out of illness but just by the immense amount of dark mana that was suddenly forced into the surrounding area. It was completely overbearing, and it was almost as if he was being forced to feel a deep-rooted hatred of _everything_. It felt as if he would lose himself in it, and once he did, that there would be no returning. The way he felt reminded him exactly of how he did when he was forced to transform into an Agasura, but unlike the previous occurrences, he was not the one emitting the aura. Something much worse, much more horrifying and with malice that ran deeper than whatever brought about his own was approaching him; it could feel his presence, taste his fear and would certainly come for him the moment it was near. Just as he had predicted, it did.

A creature shrouded in darkness beneath a cloak dashed past for but a moment and immediately turned on what seemed to be the ball of its heel to him and slammed him against the tree with its massive claw to his neck. From within the hood of the cloak he could see two eyes, a bloodthirsty crimson eye and the other a white eye with a magic circle emblazoned on it, seemingly examining him in his entirety, and reading every single emotion that jolted through him as he looked into his fears themselves. His eyes darted around the area in search of an answer, for help, for someone to come to his aide, for Su to be there when he needed her. He needed to call her before she would show, but he could not bring out his voice. He was absolutely terrified, like a small creature looking into the eyes of its predator he could only run away, but his body refused to respond in its entirety. The creature began to bring its face closer to his and he could feel its heavy breaths upon his face, the being seemingly breathing miasma out as it neared.

In a desperate measure he forced himself to shout the first thing that came to his mind, "SU! HELP! SU-" Before he could scream once more the creature reeled a second claw back and a massive magic circle appeared behind it as it did; a crimson circle emblazoned with a winged creature seemingly eating its own tail forming a circle; the inside of it a closed eye surrounded by thorns. It dispersed and surged forth to the claw as it was slammed into TJ's chest, reforming the circle upon him. TJ fell forth gasping for air and feeling his entire body lose any and all strength within it. He could not feel a thing save for the lasting pain and ill feeling within him; it was almost as if his senses were numbed by the strike. Suddenly he was unable to sense the mana surrounding him, the evil aura it created and even the mana within him. He felt empty, afraid and lost. He could no longer tap into any of his powers or bring forth even a simple spell. He had never experienced fear like it before. He was completely at the mercy of what seemed to be the Tyrant of the Maelstrom, but unlike him, it was complete, it was powerful and it was something he never could compete with. Despair washed over him in droves as he dreaded what would occur if he was to die here and this creature was left to run rampant across Jienda. He wanted to cry but his tears would not come out; he could only wish with all his might that Su could come to save him just as she always would. But she never came.

The creature carefully examined him for half a minute and sharpened its gaze, seemingly focusing on something else. It reached into his pocket and unfurled the scroll with his quest requirements, examining it for a couple of moments and tossing it aside afterwards. It began to speak in a language TJ felt positive he had never heard before, but somehow still felt he understood. What initially sounded like low hisses and roars came through clearly to him as words. "_Forget everything you saw…_" It hissed. "_Or face erasure._" Suddenly it let go of him and his body collapsed to the ground, unmoving but still seeing everything. The terror on his face remained even after the creature turned away, and the creature that followed it quickly chased its wake. Its tiny feet pattering across the ground as the two disappeared into the shadows.

TJ could feel his heart beating. It was loud, it was clear, and it was a sign that he had lived through the experience. Though he had survived, he could not bring himself to rejoice. Knowing that a being such as that existed in the world; something so blasphemous and spiteful beyond belief that it could surpass the Agasuras themselves was not something he was prepared to come across. Such an enigma could serve no proper purpose. It could only bring terror, death and destruction. He could feel the strength returning to his joints and as he attempted to move in the slightest, he felt as if the concept was completely foreign to him. His limbs felt completely loose and detached and his mind would just not accept the idea of them being a part of his body. Like a puppet waiting for the puppeteer to take the strings, he sat motionlessly. The dissipating vibrations of the muscling's departure did not faze him in the slightest; his senses had been completely nulled and he was left to drown in his own despair without catharsis. He was beaten and broken, but the threat and the fear the creature had left in its wake was like venom in his blood. The feeling of his own mana began to return to him and every little bit that returned was like being stabbed by thousands of tiny needles causing him to wish he had never had it in the first place.

That creature was no Sin. It was not Choen Palm nor was it the Agasura King. If it was an Agasura, it was one that had surpassed the thousands of others to rise to overcome one of the strongest. It was a true _monster_, and one that should not exist in any world. It would take a true god to slay a creature such as that. TJ was bested, he knew it and had come to terms with the fact. If he could not defeat that, he would not be able to face the strongest. He was weak and helpless, and this was a cruel reminder of that fact.

A sudden sharp pain in his chest caused him to snap out of his sorrowful reverie and the sound of Su's pained screams brought him back to reality. From the crystal she emerged and collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily while her bangs covered the upper portion of her face. Her entire upper body was drenched in sweat and the look on her face said that she had experienced something very similar to what he had. She turned to him and slowly crawled over to him, lifting his head into her knees and hugging him tightly.

"I…I can't believe I let them do that to you…" She whispered, her voice a mixture of anguish and frustration. "Whoever did this…I'll find them. I swear by my fucking title as God's Governor of Earth, I'll find them and I'll make them regret every fucking moment they spend on this world!" She gently rested him against the tree and took one last anxious glance at her companion. "If you die, our hope dies with you, and so does my dream." She grit her teeth. "Don't go anywhere you hear? I'm gonna find that bastard. In this state I won't be able to fight it but…I wanna see it for myself. Knowing your enemy is half the battle." She lifted the book from her hip and gently tapped the badge that rested beneath it. "Peorth. It's me. I need you to send someone to get TJ out of this shithole." She paused. "Yeah…we had a run in with some kind of an Agasura. No, it wasn't a Sin. You can debrief me about it later, I'm going to scout it out." She tapped the badge again and sighed. She clenched her fists and ran off, following the trail of destruction left by the three.

Su caught a glimpse of a nearby levitating platform and leapt towards it, grabbing hold of the rope and quickly scrambling to the top to get a better look of the area. She scanned the vicinity for more debris and tracks from the muscling and found that and more with miniscule amounts of effort. She ran to the edge of the platform and leapt towards a branch of a tree, grabbing hold of it and swinging from it to another. She landed with ease and dashed across it to jump to another until she neared where the three creatures had remained.

As she approached she saw the aftermath of a battle; dark energies and miasma residue lingered on some of the trees and the grass, and blood stains were not far from them. A small group of trees were broken and aflame, resting upon the ground and other trees. Whatever the creature was it most certainly was familiar with the Contemptuous Arts, and Su had no doubts in her mind that it was familiar with spells that exceeded them. She took a deep breath and hid her presence to the best of her abilities. The spell the being used on TJ to seal his mana worked in her favour, as it only made it more difficult to detect the little mana available to her. She proceeded on quickly and quietly, rising higher into the branches of the trees to remain out of sight and eventually caught sight of the two and a bloody muscling. They seemed to have killed the Agasura, the sinister being and its companion standing over its bloody corpse and talking. As it crouched down to the muscling Su took the opportunity to silently approach from the safety of her vantage point giving her the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a massive claw that seemingly represented that of the Tyrant of the Maelstrom's. She felt certain that it was a copy, or at least a being eerily similar to it, but her knowledge disagreed with the fact. There was only one; or there should have been only one. Even _She_ said that there could be no others, so what could explain the existence of this being?

She saw it cut off the tail and turn to the smaller of the two as the massive claw began to shrink and disappear beneath the long sleeves of the cloak it wore.

"Another of Miniamoto's abominations. We need to locate that bastard and put him out of his misery once and for all. The last abomination we faced put this one to shame; I could've sworn it was using the Divine Arts too. Might have been a Cerebian he abducted…" The creature muttered. Su deemed it to be a grown man likely to be in his mid-thirties, and a voice she was certainly not familiar with.

"I think so too." Its tiny companion agreed. A young girl this time, her size dictated that she could be no older than five or six years old. "His presence and constant tampering is upsetting this world's balance." Her words said otherwise. Her eyes shifted from the creature the two had slain to her companion. "What of that young girl from before? She had seen you in _that_ form. Are you sure that you can leave things as they are?"

He muttered something inaudible and shrugged. "I don't like it either, but I've killed more than enough innocent people. She was a Cerebian too…but at the same time I sensed a very familiar energy from her. It was if she was one of us, but had it hidden deep within the confines of her own mind. I've heard of 'inner demons' but that one was nothing like what we've faced." He sighed. "Regardless of what she is, I don't want to have to kill _anyone_ anymore. In this world I'm nothing more than a mere hunter, not a 'tyrant'. We'll see this quest through and finally live a peaceful life."

"Right." She chimed. He heaved the muscling over his shoulder. "Why did you cut off the tail Master?"

He stopped walking for a moment. "Eh…that kid probably got sent here to kill this thing. Can't leave the corpse with them though."

"You have a really big heart Master."

He scoffed. "Don't spread that around. I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea." It held out a hand. "Let's go back before the seals shut me down." She took his hand and a dark energy surrounding the two, dispersing as they disappeared.

Su climbed down the tree and walked over to the location where they stood only moments ago. She picked up the blood-soaked tail and looked back in the direction of Elias. She had finally witnessed it for herself, and the amount of mana the being had exerted was more than enough of a lead on his location. She knew exactly where the two had went, and she was not gonna let them walk away so easily.

TJ rested in the cockpit of Robo's MG as it rushed back towards Elias. The machine was only built for one person, so he sat in Robo's lap with his legs and head hanging out on both sides of the robot.

"You find yourself in the strangest of predicaments, don't you TJ?" He chuckled. "The end results always seem to be rather grim, though. I really do worry about you sometimes." He looked up to the sky. "I could only imagine what it would be like to be in your shoes. Always have to bite off more than you can chew, whether you like it or not 'cause someone's counting on you. Last fight must have left you pretty run down, but take it from me, sometimes you have to fall to…ah…" He paused. "Sorry. That was very…inconsiderate of me. What I'm trying to say is don't let a loss get you down." TJ silently stared at his shoes and Robo broke out into a cold sweat, realizing that he was going to have a much harder time than Curt had promised him.

The rest of the trip back had been relatively quiet, as Robo had eventually run out of encouraging words and TJ rarely, if ever, responded to the things he had said. He occasionally muttered a one-word response but neglected to make eye contact in the slightest. Robo was thankful for that. After what seemed like much longer, the two arrived in Elias and he rested his MG outside of the bank to let TJ out and perform maintenance.

"You sure you don't want a lift to the arena or the Guild Room or something?" He offered.

TJ shook his head. "No…this is fine. Thanks."

Robo sighed. "Alright. If you need anything just give me a shout. I'll stay tuned into the guild chat in case anyone needs me." He waved with a wrench in hand. "Goodbye TJ."

He waved back as he walked away. As he passed by Club Abio his crystal began to emit a bright light and he immediately turned into the nearest alleyway so his companion could exit from it.

She solemnly looked into his eyes for a couple of moments and suddenly broke eye contact. "I'm going to find that thing and interrogate it. Even if I don't get any answers out of the bastard, I'll know that he really is in this city, and I'll know where to find him when it's time to put him out of his misery." TJ placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned to him glaring. "What?"

"I'm…going too." He said. Though his voice was shaking she could still hear the conviction in it.

"Fine. Just don't do anything stupid."

The two began their exploration of the market, leaving the high end stores behind them and submerging themselves amongst the more common shops. The further in they went, the louder the sound of someone's voice became; the two could hear a man singing nearby, and Su seemed to be leading them right to it. They emerged in a small plaza featuring a series of shops: tailors, apothecaries, and arms dealers were littered around it. Off in a little corner nearby, there was a tiny worn-down looking restaurant with a pair of people sitting atop it, one of the two gently strumming an acoustic guitar and singing as he did. As they neared he stopped and placed it in his lap, looking down upon the two and smiling nervously.

"I'm sorry, did I bother you two with my singing?" The man asked. From what they could see he was rather lanky, and clad in an unbuttoned lounge coat over a white dress shirt, with matching dark blue pants. His face was partially covered by a long snow white cloth with a black pattern beneath a wide rimmed fedora.

Next to him was a young girl with puffy green hair in two twin tails, beneath a green Gatsby with a tiny heart on the front of the hat, two matching ribbons on the side and ear flaps beneath them. The two caught a glimpse of her matching dress as the duo scrambled down the roof of the shop and into one of the windows eventually emerging at the front door. The young girl's white sleeves were tightly wrapped around a broom with a blue ribbon resting before her brown moccasins. She looked at the two with a mixture of fear and curiosity. TJ smiled uneasily and waved to which she hid behind the shopkeeper's leg.

"What can I do for you two this fine evening?" The cloth wrapped around his face seemed to be a scarf, and he kept his head down revealing very little of his facial features beneath the hat. He seemingly examined TJ for a couple of moments and suddenly jerked from surprise, but immediately covered it up by fixing his posture. Both of his hands were covered by white gloves.

"I'm from one of the parties that were sent to eliminate the creature in the Forest and we were told that the area was off-limits to any other outsiders. One of my companions said they had seen you there leaving with the creature. What can you tell me about this?" Su said in a respectful and serious tone. The speed in which she talked gave him the vibe that he was being interrogated.

"Me?" He chuckled. "What would I be doing in the Forest? I heard that the route to Belos was closed because of an Agasura so I didn't stick my nose into it. Got a shop to run after all, so I did just that. My f-pet and I didn't go anywhere specifically recently, next to shopping in the market." He grinned.

"According to the reports, you and your pet fit the description perfectly. If you have nothing more to tell us, we'll have to have you brought to the palace for questioning."

He grit his teeth and looked around uneasily. Su knew she was getting through to him, and she planned to stay on the offensive. With a sigh of defeat he opened the door and insisted the two come in.

The inside of the shop had a very homely feel to it. A series of chairs were set up across the store and a small bar with seats invited customers to sit and have a meal or drink. The walls were decorated with pictures of various different people, and a few of the current owner and his companion. He took his place behind the bar and his young acquaintance scurried into one of the seats nearest to him, the two turning their gaze to Su and TJ.

"Could I…get you anything?" He asked with a nervous grin.

"No refreshments, just answers." Su replied curtly.

He frowned slightly. "Okay fine. So maybe we _were_ in the Forest and maybe we _did_ haul off with the muscling, but it's not like I let the adventurers walk off empty handed. If you came to get the corpse, you're a tad too late. I already disposed of it." He grinned.

"No we're not looking for that. Moving on, there have been sightings of a second Agasura in the Forest recently. One considered much more dangerous than the muscling itself. What can you tell me about this?"

"What?! I mean, that's bound to happen right? Where there's one Agasura, there's certainly gonna be more! One or two of them will always be stronger than the others. I didn't see it though, sorry."

He was starting to try her patience. "Your…pet…it's a brownie, correct?"

"The eyes don't lie."

"She's unnaturally green, don't you think?"

He smiled wryly. "Well yes…yes she is. She's really fond of the colour green so I got her clothes in that colour and we dyed her hair together. Is there something strange about that?"

"You do know it's against the law to unnaturally change a pet's outer appearance don't you?" She asked.

"Ye-no, no I did _not_ know. I'll remedy that as soon as possible." At this juncture it was a battle of endurance; the first to crack would certainly leave themselves wide open for a jab at the other's identity and Su would do everything it takes not to let him get that opportunity.

"Can you tell me how you got said brownie?"

He intertwined his fingers as he leaned against the counter. "LaDeck! I won the egg through LaDeck and raised it myself! Spent a fortune on gold darts of luck to play the game and after nearly four hundred darts I won it. The GMA is merciless with the game, but I persisted and here we are!"

He was lying; she knew it, he knew it, and the two would certainly get nowhere so long as they continued in that direction. If she invaded his personal space any further he would catch on to her ruse and could potentially call her out on her fraud. She certainly was not an official from the palace, and she would be in more trouble than he was if she was reported. She was at her wit's end with him and the situation as a whole, and was ready to fight him and put an end to all of it right then and there. "Oh fuck this! Did you really think I'd buy any of that shit?!" She suddenly shouted and slammed the table while rising, causing him to look startled. "How dull do you have to be to _not_ notice that this is the same guy that you attacked earlier?! Are you done wasting my time now?" She glared at him. "Also pets don't talk dumbass!"

A harsh silence fell upon the entirety of the store, everyone aside from Su looking absolutely nonplussed. The man pointed to Su, then to TJ and shook his head.

"If all that swearing means anything, you two must be the kids that the _ice queen_ mentioned. If she'd given me a description of you two it would have made all of this so much simpler." He said.

"Ice queen?" Su asked befuddled. "Wait…you don't mean Peorth do you?"

At that moment there was a knock on the door and it steadily opened as the guild master entered. "Good evening. I hope you do not mind me letting myself in, I had heard my name and reacted subconsciously." She said coolly.

"Ah…Queenie. Are these the guys you wanted me to meet? This kid has a pretty foul mouth and the other kid's pinker than a flamingo. Don't think anyone else comes close to these two."

"Call me a kid again and I'll give you a slow agonizing death with a _butter knife_." Su told him.

"Indeed." Peorth responded. "Please, allow me to introduce you all. Vanir, this is the Abellan TJ and his contracted spirit Suuba. TJ, Suuba I would like you to meet one of our finest informants and Confidants, Vanir."

* * *

_I won't confirm or deny who this character is, but you'll be seeing a lot of him. On that topic, as I had mentioned on my twitter I'm gonna put this on hold for a while and go back to Innocent to finally see it through. It should be finished by next month if all goes well, and the rest will be held back for a while as I'll be on vacation for about three weeks. I'll be editing the rough draft for Project H/H's prologue and I'll let you guys know where you can read it via twitter once its done. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and will like what's to come._


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